Reeves Scores 23 in Jackets’ Loss

THE FLATS – Kowacie Reeves Jr. scored a career-high 23 points, but Georgia Tech men’s basketball was cold from the field otherwise in an 85-73 loss to Mississippi State in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday night at McCamish Pavilion.

Reeves made 8-of-20 shots, including 7-of-14 from 3-point range, but the remainder of the Yellow Jackets were just 18-of-57 combined and 1-of-16 from beyond the arc.

After the Jackets jumped out to an early 9-2 lead (thanks in large part to a pair of 3s by Reeves), Mississippi State scored 13 of the game’s next 16 points to pull ahead at 15-13 and Georgia Tech never regained the lead the rest of the way. After MSU expanded its lead to as large as 16 points early in the second half, Tech went on a 21-11 run to cut the deficit to six at 55-49 with 11 minutes still left to play.

However, that was as close as the Jackets would get, as they dropped their third-straight game to fall to 5-4 on the season.

Reeves led four scorers in double-figures for Georgia Tech, with Baye Ndongo, Mouhamed Sylla and Akai Fleming scoring 12 apiece. Reeves pulled down a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his 23 points, which topped his previous career best of 21 that he set as a freshman at Florida vs. Texas A&M in 2022. His prior high at Tech was 20 vs. Alabama A&M in 2023.

Josh Hubbard led all scorers with 25 points for Mississippi State (4-4).

Georgia Tech returns to action on Saturday against Monmouth. Tipoff is set for noon at McCamish Pavilion.

Kowacie Reeves’ 23 points were a career high for the redshirt senior (Danny Karnik photo).

POSTGAME NOTES

TEAM NOTES

• Georgia Tech dipped to 5-4 on the season after its third-straight loss. The loss moved the Yellow Jackets to 1-2 when competing in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
• The loss marked the first at home this season as the Yellow Jackets moved to 5-1 in McCamish Pavilion.
• For the sixth time this season, at least four different Yellow Jackets finished in double-figure scoring numbers. Kowacie Reeves Jr. led the way with 23 points, followed by Akai Fleming, Baye Ndongo and Mouhamed Sylla each with 12 apiece.
• Stifled by its lowest shooting percentage in the first half this season, Georgia Tech fell into a double-digit deficit early, converting only 28.2 percent (11-39) of its attempts from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
• The Yellow Jackets committed a season-low five turnovers, matching the lowest by a Damon Stoudamire team, which was previously set twice.
• Eight different Yellow Jackets recorded an assist in the game as Tech finished with 16 on the night. Tech has posted at least 12 assists in every game this season.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Kowacie Reeves Jr. logged his sixth double-digit scoring performance, and 41^st of his career, by the end of the first half.
• Reeves finished with a career-high 23 points on the night, besting his previous high of 21 set while he was a freshman at Florida in 2022.
• Helping Reeves to his career-high was seven three-pointers, marking the most by the Yellow Jacket in a game his collegiate career.
• Reeves also led the Yellow Jackets with nine rebounds, one shy of his career-high, and one shy of his second double-double.
• Filling the stat sheet, Reeves also recorded six steals, besting his previous career-high of three steals, recorded twice in his career.
• Akai Fleming logged his third consecutive double-figure scoring outing with 12 points. The freshman now scored in double-figures in six of the nine games this season.
• Mouhamed Sylla returned to double-figure ways, also adding 12 points to the scoreboard, for his seventh double-figure scoring outing of the season.
• Baye Ndongo notched his 52^nd double-figure outing of his career, and sixth of the year with 12 points.
• Lamar Washington dished out a team-high five assists to lead the Jackets in assists for the fourth-straight game.

Mouhammed Sylla scored two of his 12 points on this slam dunk in the first half of Wednesday’s loss to Mississippi State (Danny Karnik photo).

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