Late Rally Falls Short at Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. – Five Yellow Jackets finished in double figures and Georgia Tech rallied down the stretch, but came up just short at Georgia, falling 92-87 on Friday night in Stegeman Coliseum. Kam Craft led the way for the Jackets with 17 points as Georgia Tech dipped to 3-1 on the year.

Craft hit five three-pointers, including two in the final four minutes, to record his first game in double digits as a Yellow Jacket. Lamar Washington added 16 points to the scoreboard, while Jaeden Mustaf registered 15 points, just three points shy of matching his career-high. Kowacie Reeves Jr. added 12 points and Baye Ndongo contributed 10 to round out Tech’s five in double figures.

A competitive first half took place in Athens as the teams fought through five lead changes and two tied scores. The Yellow Jackets shot 41.7 percent in the half, fueled by 11 points from Reeves and eight points from Mustaf. Tech came out with a quick lead, but Georgia rallied back and opened a 10-point lead midway through the first, leading 26-16, with 9:30 to play. Back-to-back buckets from Ndongo revived the Yellow Jackets and consecutive three-pointers from Reeves brought the Jackets back within two. Mouhamed Sylla knotted the game at 40-apiece and a three-point play from the freshman put Tech back on top 43-40 with 2:16 to play. Tech trailed 46-45 at the break.

Mustaf quickly added seven points to his resume to open the second half as Georgia Tech gained a 60-52 advantage following a Washington bucket at 14:02. But Georgia crawled back and regained the lead with a three-point play from Jake Wilkins at the 11:15 mark. The Jackets trailed 66-63 before a Craft triple knotted the game, but the Bulldogs responded with nine unanswered to reopen a 75-66 lead. Georgia would lead by as many as 11 down the stretch before the Jackets climbed back, outscoring UGA 18-12 over the final four minutes. Tech would cut the score to single digits, but could not complete the comeback, dropping its first game of the season.

Georgia Tech returns to McCamish Pavilion to host its second straight in-state opponent on Tuesday, Nov. 18 when Georgia Southern visits Atlanta. Tip is slated for 7:30 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

Redshirt-junior Kam Craft tallied a team-high 17 points. Photo by Colin Hubbard. 

Postgame Notes

TEAM NOTES

• Georgia Tech dropped its first game of the 2025-26 season on Friday night, dipping to 3-1 overall.
• The Yellow Jackets set a season-highs in points (87), field goals made (30) and field goal attempts (73), while matching the season-high in three-pointers made (10) and rebounds (43).
• Tech has connected on 10 or more three-pointers in a game 17 times, and twice this season, under Damon Stoudamire. The first this season came against Bryant on Nov. 7.
• For the third consecutive game, Georgia Tech had at least four players finish in double-figure scoring totals – Kam Craft (17), Lamar Washington (16), Jaeden Mustaf (15), Kowacie Reeves Jr. (12) and Baye Ndongo (10). It marked the first game five Yellow Jackets scored in double figures since Tech’s 77-70 win against Louisville on Feb. 1, 2025.
• Georgia went to the free throw line 44 times, marking the most under Damon Stoudamire. It was also the first time an opponent took 40 or more trips since Duke was 26-of-40 on Jan. 4, 2022.
• The last time an opponent went to the free throw line 44 or more times dates back to Feb. 23, 2008 at Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech took the decision, 92-84.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Redshirt-senior Kowacie Reeves Jr. (Macon, Ga.) owned his fourth-straight double figure scoring game by the end of the first half. Reeves led the Yellow Jackets with 11 first-half points, hitting a pair of crucial three-pointers and going 3-for-4 at the free throw line. He finished with 12 points on the night.
• Sophomore Jaeden Mustaf (Bowie, Md.) had eight points at half and dropped in six in just over four minutes of the second half to extend his night to 15 points. He finished the game just shy of matching his career-high in scoring of 18 points.
• Mustaf also led Georgia Tech in assists, recording six on the night. Georgia Tech finished with 18.
• Redshirt-junior Kam Craft (Chicago, Ill.) registered a season-high 17 points, his first double-digit performance in the White and Gold. Craft connected on five three-pointers in the game, converting 5-of-7 from three-point range.
• Senior Lamar Washington (Portland, Ore.) recorded a new season-best with 16 points in the White and Gold. Washington hit six field goals and was 3-for-5 at the free throw line, while dishing out five assists.
• Junior Baye Ndongo (Mboro, Senegal) recorded his second double-figure scoring outing on Friday, registering 10 points and adding four rebounds.
• Freshman Mouhamed Sylla (Louga, Senegal) just missed a double-double, finishing with eight rebounds and seven points.
• Freshman Akai Fleming (Marietta, Ga.) finished just shy of a double-figure showing, adding eight points to the scoreboard.

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.

Season tickets for men’s basketball can be reserved here.