Winston-Salem, N.C. – Baye Ndongo scored a team-high 13 points with 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double this season, but Georgia Tech shot less than 30 percent from the floor and set a season-low for points in a 69-43 loss at Wake Forest Saturday at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Tech suffered its largest margin of defeat since an 82-58 loss to Duke on Dec. 21. With the loss, Tech (16-15, 10-10 ACC) locked down the No. 8 seed in next week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., where they will play the noon game Wednesday against the No. 9 seed, which will be determined after results later Saturday.
Tech made just 5-of-27 shots from the floor, 2-of-17 from 3-point range in trailing 34-15 at the break. The Yellow Jackets had two scoring droughts of more than four minutes, and the Demon Deacons closed the half on a 12-0 run. Things improved in the second half, but only marginally as Tech finished at 29.6% and made just three 3-point field goals in the game, both season lows.
Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons (21-10, 13-7 ACC) shot just 38.1% for the game, but hit 11 3-pointers and forced 16 Tech turnovers, which they turned into 23 points.
Jaeden Mustaf was the only other Yellow Jacket in double figures with 12 points, and Ibrahim Souare pulled a team-high 11 rebounds, his second double-digit effort this season.
Baye Ndongo (11) posted his 12th double-double this season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. (photo by Andy Mead)
POST-GAME NOTES
- Georgia Tech finished the regular season in 8th place in the ACC standings, four slots ahead of the media’s pre-season projections, and has finished ahead of the pre-season projection eight of the last nine years.
- Tech draws the No. 8 seed in next week’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., where it will play the noon game Wednesday, March 12, against the No. 9 seed, a team to be determined following the remainder of Saturday’s games. It is the first time the Yellow Jackets have earned a first-round bye in the tournament since 2021, when they won the championship.
- Tech once stood 2-6 in ACC play this season, but has won 5 of its last 7 games, 7 of its last 10 (Feb. 1 to the present), and 8 of its last 12.
- Tech’s 43 points, 29.6% shooting from the floor and 13% from 3-point range against Wake Forest were all season lows. The 43 points were the Yellow Jackets’ fewest since a 96-43 loss to Duke on Jan. 28, 2023, and the FG% was Tech’s lowest since hitting 29.5% in a game at Louisville on Feb. 1, 2023.
- Tech is 3-6 in games vs. Quad 1 teams this season with wins over Louisville on 2/1, Clemson on 2/4 and Pittsburgh on 2/25. The Jackets are 7-13 vs. Quad 1 teams under Damon Stoudamire.
- Baye Ndongo posted his 12th double-double of the season and 10th in ACC play this season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Wake Forest. Only Maxime Reynaud of Stanford (12) has more double-doubles against ACC teams this season, and only Eddie Lampkin of Syracuse (10) has as many.
- Ibrahim Souare led the Yellow Jackets with 11 rebounds and notched his second double-digit carom game this season.
- Freshman Jaeden Mustaf pitched in 12 points at Wake Forest, his second double-figure effort in Tech’s last 3 games and his 3rd in an ACC game this season, 9th overall.
Jaeden Mustaf (3) scored 12 points for his second double-figure game in the last three. (photo by Andy Mead)
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
POST-GAME AUDIO
Head coach Damon Stoudamire
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.
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ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its second 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. Tickets for men’s basketball can be reserved here.
