THE FLATS – A 19-0 run erased an early deficit and Georgia Tech men’s basketball never looked back on its way to a 91-82 win over UMBC on Wednesday night at McCamish Pavilion.
Georgia Tech (5-6) found itself trailing the Retrievers (7-6) 11-2 less than four minutes into the game, but the Yellow Jackets quickly responded with their 19-0 run over a 4:10 span, turning the early nine-point deficit into a commanding 21-11 advantage with 12:24 to go in the first half. The Jackets would go on to lead for the rest of the game, stretching the advantage to 19 points at halftime (53-34) and to as much as 22 points in the second half. Tech’s 53 first-half points were its most since it scored 53 in the first half of a 96-76 win at Syracuse on Feb. 28, 2023.
Naithan George led four scorers in double-figures for the Yellow Jackets with 18 points and also led all players with eight assists.
Baye Ndongo (17 points), Lance Terry (15) and Jaeden Mustaf (15) rounded out Tech’s four double-digit scorers. Making his first start as a Yellow Jacket, Ryan Mutombo added six points and seven rebounds.
Ndongo was especially impressive down the stretch, scoring four points, grabbing two rebounds, dishing out two assists and blocking a shot over the final 6:37 of the ballgame, which helped squelch a UMBC spurt that saw the Retrievers pull within six points on a pair of occasions late in the contest.
UMBC’s Bryce Johnson led all players with 21 points.
Georgia Tech returns to Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday when it hosts No. 5 Duke at McCamish Pavilion. Tipoff is set for noon and the game will be televised on ACC Network.
Naithan George led Georgia Tech with 18 points and 8 assists in Wednesday’s win over UMBC. (photo by Danny Karnik)
POST-GAME NOTES
- Tech has utilized five different starting lineups through its first 11 games this season. Freshman Jaeden Mustaf made his first collegiate start against UMBC, and graduate transfer Ryan Mutombo made his first start since his freshman year at Georgetown.
- After its 1-for-10 start and trailing 11-2, Tech reeled off 19 straight points and made nine straight shots from the floor, finishing the half making 20-of-24.
- Tech finished the UMBC game at 52.5% from the floor, just shy of the season-high 52.8% the Yellow Jackets recorded Nov. 27 vs. Charleston Southern. Tech’s 50% clip from three (8-of-16) was a season high.
- Tech assisted on 24 of 32 made field goals (75%), a season high for assists and percentage.
- Four Tech players are averaging in double-figure points through (Lance Terry 15.5, Baye Ndongo 12.9, Naithan George 11.0, Javian McCollum 10.3). Six are averaging more than 9 points per game.
- Senior guard Lance Terry has started Tech’s last 6 games, averaged 36 minutes and 18 points (44.6% FG, 42.9% 3pt FG) with 23 total rebounds, 12 assists and 10 steals.
- Baye Ndongo has scored in double digits in eight of 11 games. He leads the Jackets and ranks No. 2 in the ACC in field goal percentage at 51.9%. Ndongo also ranks 8th in rebound average (7.7 rpg). He came up one rebound shy of a double-double (17 points, 9 rebounds) against UMBC.
- Freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf has scored in double digits in five of his last seven games after tallying 15 against UMBC. He has averaged 13.7 points per game over that stretch.
- Naithan George has 42 assists and 14 turnovers in Tech’s last 6 games, and a 58-to-22 assist/turnover ratio for the season. He leads the ACC in assist average (6.0 per game) and ranks 8th in assist/turnover ratio (2.64-1). He has five games of seven or more assists this season.
- Graduate transfer Ryan Mutombo got his first start as a Yellow Jacket, and second of his college career (last was during his freshman season at Georgetown. In his 2 games played after sitting out Tech’s first 9 of the season, the 7-2 center has scored 16 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked 4 shots in 35 minutes.
Ryan Mutombo had 6 points and 7 rebounds in his first start as a Yellow Jacket. (photo by Danny Karnik)
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO
