THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball (3-0) remained undefeated on Monday night, fighting past Southeastern Louisiana, 70-60, inside McCamish Pavilion. The Jackets utilized a 17-3 second half scoring run to establish a 10-point lead with five minutes left and held on through the end for a third-straight victory to begin the 2025-26 campaign.
Freshman center Mouhamed Sylla led all scorers with a personal-high 16 points to go along with a game-best 10 rebounds for his third double-double in as many games. With the performance, Sylla becomes the first Tech freshman to record three-straight double-doubles since Derrick Favors in 2009-10. Freshman Akai Fleming delivered 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting for his second straight game with 10-plus points (previously with 14 points vs. Bryant on Nov. 7).
The Jackets had four players in double-digits for the second straight game as senior guard Lamar Washington posted 13 points, six rebounds and three assists in his first game donning the White & Gold. Senior Kowacie Reeves Jr. added 12 points while junior forward Baye Ndongo delivered eight points and eight rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.
Turnovers plagued the first half for both sides as Tech and Southeastern combined for 26 turnovers (13 apiece). The Jackets were able to knock down just under 50 percent of their shots (11-of-24) but went into the half with a two-point deficit. Sylla led the attack with 10 points, making each of his first five field goal attempts to go along with five rebounds and a block while playing all 20 minutes of action. Fleming also delivered nine points off the bench as 19 of Tech’s 29 first half points came from freshmen.
The back-and-forth battle continued into the second half, until the Tech defense tightened up, holding the visiting Lions to just three points for nearly nine and half minutes of game time. The Jackets used the momentum gained on the defensive side to go on a 17-3 scoring run, turning a 43-39 deficit into a 10-point lead (53-43) with just under five minutes to play. Ndongo was critical in the scoring run, scoring six points with a block, assist, steal and two rebounds.
Washington added to the lead late in the game, knocking down a pair of threes to stifle any momentum from Southeastern and allow the Yellow Jackets to seal the win with a final score of 70-60.
Georgia Tech will travel up the road for the 201st renewal of “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” at Georgia, Friday at 9 p.m. inside Stegeman Coliseum in Athens. The game will be broadcast live on SEC Network.
Lamar Washington stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists in his Yellow Jacket debut (Danny Karnik photo)
Postgame Notes
TEAM NOTES
- Georgia Tech faced its largest deficit of the season at 27-16 (11 points) following a three-point play from Jeremy Elyzee at the 6:54 mark of the first half. The Yellow Jackets also trailed at half for the first time this season.
- Despite committing 13 turnovers in the first half, Georgia Tech shot 45.8 percent (11-24) from the floor paced by freshman Mouhamed Sylla’s 10 points. The Yellow Jackets finished the game shooting 45.1 percent overall.
- Both teams produced 13 turnovers each in the opening 20 minutes with the Yellow Jackets converting the miscues into 15 points. Both teams added seven turnovers each in the second half as Tech finished with 23 points off turnovers in the win.
- Georgia Tech held its third straight opponent to under 36 percent shooting as Southeastern Louisiana was able to connect on only 33.3 percent (20-60) of its attempts. The Yellow Jackets came into the contest tied for second in scoring defense in the Atlantic Coast Conference and did not waver on Monday night.
- For the second straight game, four Yellow Jackets finished in double figure scoring totals – Mouhamed Sylla (16), Lamar Washington (13), Akai Fleming (12) and Kowacie Reeves Jr. (12).
- Georgia Tech saw 27 points come off its bench and outscored SLU in the paint, 34-20. The Yellow Jackets also dished out 13 assists for their third consecutive game with 10 or more assists.
- Tech made 19 of its 26 free throw attempts Monday night, marking the best performance to date this season at the charity stripe. It is the most free throws made this season, as well as the most attempted.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Freshman Mouhamed Sylla (Louga, Senegal) completed his third straight double-double behind 16 points and 10 rebounds. He becomes the first Yellow Jacket freshman to record three-straight double-doubles since Derrick Favors did so in 2009-10 against USC (12/5/09), Chattanooga (12/14/09) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (12/16/09).
- Senior Lamar Washington (Portland, Ore.) saw his first action as a Yellow Jacket, coming off the bench and immediately providing a spark, scoring Tech’s first points of the night
- Washington finished with 13 points, including 10 in a critical second half for the Jackets. Washington went 2-for-3 in the final 20 minutes, while also securing four rebounds to help lift Tech to victory. Washington led all scorers in the second half.
- Junior Baye Ndongo (Mboro, Senegal) just missed a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds. Ndongo led the Jackets in assists with a career-high five. The Jacket started his 65th consecutive game for Georgia Tech.
- Freshman Akai Fleming (Marietta, Ga.) remained steady Monday night with 12 points, three rebounds and an assist. Fleming is coming off a 14-point performance last Friday for his second game in double-figure totals.
- Redshirt-senior Kowacie Reeves Jr. (Macon, Ga.) logged his third game this season with 10-plus points, added 12 points to the scoreboard. Reeves has now scored in double figures 38 times in his career. Reeves led the Yellow Jackets at the free throw line, converting 7-of-8 attempts.
Mouhamed Sylla dropped a career-best 16 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in as many games (Danny Karnik photo)
MULTIMEDIA
PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its third year under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), played in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on X (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
