Tech Unable to Down Hot-Shooting Eagles, 95-87

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball was unable to cool hot-shooting Boston College on Saturday afternoon, falling 95-87 at McCamish Pavilion.

The Yellow Jackets (8-6, 1-2 ACC) worked to create a lead as big as 16 early in the second half, but was unable to hold onto it as the Eagles (10-4, 1-2 ACC) shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half, including 70 percent from downtown.

Tech was accurate as well from the field, shooting 54 percent itself for the game, including 50 percent in the second half to battle back and take a 79-76 lead with four minutes remaining. However a three-minute scoring drought combined with a 10-2 run by BC proved too much to ultimately overcome.

Tech was led by Baye Ndongo‘s double-double, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Kowacie Reeves, Jr., turned in 17 points. Miles Kelly scored 12 on the day, while Kyle Sturdivant recorded a near-triple-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

The Eagles were led by Devin McGlockton, who finished with 30 points and five rebounds.

Georgia Tech remains at home when it returns to the court on Tuesday, Jan. 9, playing host to Notre Dame. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. on ACC Network.

Baye Ndongo (11) tallied his third double-double this season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. (photo by Danny Karnik)

 

Post-Game Notes

TEAM NOTES

• Tech lost at home to Boston College for the first time since the 2014-15 season, having won the last three meetings.
• Tech is 6-4 since freshmen Baye Ndongo and Naithan George entered the starting lineup Nov. 28 against Mississippi State.
• Tech has outrebounded 10 of 14 opponents and tied one this season, posting a 36-24 advantage over Boston College. For the season, Tech has a plus-5.9 rebounding margin and entered the game No. 3 in the ACC, No. 67 nationally.
• Tech has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in its last three halves of basketball, hitting 57 percent in the opening half against Boston College and an even-50 percent in the second half. The Jackets connected on 58.6 in the second half of the Florida State game.
• Tech’s 54.2-percent clip against BC was just its second game shooting 50 percent this season; the Jackets hit 50.9 percent against Duke on Dec. 2. The Jackets have connected on 42.4 percent for the season, but 49.1 percent in three ACC games.
• Conversely, Tech surrendered 55.6 percent to Boston College and its last three opponents have connected on 52.2 percent from the floor.
• Tech has averaged less than 10 turnovers (9 each vs. Hawai’i and Nevada, 10 FSU, 11 vs. BC) in its last four games, after averaging more than 19 in the three games prior.
• Tech remains one of the nation’s better offensive rebounding teams this season, grabbing 11 against Boston College for 11 second-chance points, and averaging 13.6 per game. The Jackets lead the ACC in that category and rank 24^th-best nationally. Tech ranks No. 2 in the ACC in total rebounds per game and is No. 26 nationally.
• Tech went 10-of-23 from three-point range against BC (9-of-18 first half), its most threes since going 13-for-29 in its 2023-24 opener against Georgia Southern. The Jackets have connected on 29.4 percent this season from beyond the arc.
• Miles Kelly and Kowacie Reeves, Jr., are the only Tech players to start every game this season.
• Ebenezer Dowuona made his first start for Tech since the Yellow Jackets’ quarterfinal round game against Massachusetts after not playing at all in the three games in between. Tech went 5-1 in the games he started previously.
• At least nine players have seen the court in 13 of Tech’s first 14 games (only eight played against Hawai’i). Eleven players average more than 10 minutes per game.
• Tech is 3-4 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 teams this season (UMass was a Quad 2 win, while Nevada was a Quad 1 opportunity). The Jackets’ remaining ACC schedule has eight Quad 1 and four Quad 2 opponents. Tech was 3-14 last season against Quad 1/2 foes.

PLAYER NOTES

• Two Tech players posted double-doubles in the same game for the first time since Jan. 10 of last season. Baye Ndongo scored a team-high 18 points with 10 rebounds, and point guard Kyle Sturdivant had 11 points with a career-best nine rebounds. Last Jan. 10, Ja’von Franklin (12 pts/12 reb) and Deivon Smith (16 pts/10 reb) did so against Notre Dame.
• Sturdivant fell one assist shy of a triple-double, recording a season-high nine dimes against BC, one short of his career-best in that category set last Feb. 25 vs. Louisville.
• Sturdivant has 14 assists and two turnovers in his last two games, and has a 49/23 (2.13-to-1) ratio for the season, 18/4 vs. the ACC.
• Kowacie Reeves, Jr., has scored in double digits in nine of Tech’s 14 games. The 6-7 junior has scored 35 points on 13-of-25 shooting in Tech’s last two games, 7-of-13 from three-point range.
• Reeves has hit 45.8-percent of his shots from the floor for the season, a team-best 41.4 percent from three-point range and 83.8 percent from the foul line. He is Tech’s No. 2 scorer at 12.5 points per game.
• Reeves and Ndongo share the team lead in scoring in ACC games at 16.6 points per game, and have combined to hit 61.2 percent of their shots from the floor (38-of-62).
• Miles Kelly is averaging 16.0 points over three ACC games, and his shooting percentages are well above his full-season norms – 44.7 percent from the floor, 35.0 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent from the foul line.
• Kelly leads Tech in getting to the free throw line, attempting 72 foul shots this season after trying 59 all of 2022-23, but for the first time this season, he did not attempt a free throw against Boston College.
• Kelly has hit 5-of-12 three-point tries in his last two games after hitting just 2-for-25 from behind the three-point line in the four games prior. He has hit 35 percent from distance in ACC games.
• Ndongo is Tech’s leader in rebound average (9.2 rpg) and ranks No. 2 in the nation among freshmen. He has averaged 11.0 rebounds over his last six games.
• Freshman Naithan George has started Tech’s last 10 games at the point guard position and has averaged 7.1 points and 4.4 assists in those games. He had eight dimes each against Alabama A&M and Penn State, and nine vs. Duke.
• George and Sturdivant have recorded 21 assists and just four turnovers combined in Tech’s last two games. For the season the point guard combo has 93 assists vs. 43 turnovers, a 2.16-to-1 ratio (3.78-to-1 in ACC games).
• Deebo Coleman has just six turnovers this season in 328 minutes (none in 67 ACC minutes), and has had 10 turnover-free games.

Kowacie Reeves (14) scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. (photo by Danny Karnik)

 

Game Highlights

Post-Game Press Conference