Biggest Takeaways From Georgia Tech's 56-52 Win Over MD Eastern Shore

Yellow Jackets hang on for a gritty win at home to advance to 1-0

Georgia Tech survives a near-upset at home against MD Eastern. It was an ugly win at home as the Yellow Jackets struggled mightily, just shooting 35% from the field. They also didn’t get a lot from their bench and were outscored by MD Eastern Shore 40-14 in bench points in the victory. There are a lot of things to clean up moving forward for Georgia Tech, but a win is a win at the end of the day. Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from the victory. 

1. Mouhamed Sylla is a difference maker for the Yellow Jackets

Sylla is as advertised, and Georgia Tech has a cornerstone player moving forward for the rest of the year. In his first career college game, Sylla recorded a double-double. He finished with 14 points on 6-11 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds. His defensive prowess is what really caught your eye. Sylla was superb defensively and finished with three steals and two blocks. His hustle, effort, and energy were paramount for Georgia Tech, which struggled to score the ball on Monday night. Sylla also had several highlight reel plays and monstrous dunks at the rim. 

Welcome to the Mo show 🍿

📺 ACCNX pic.twitter.com/BaavMGQoIJ

— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) November 4, 2025

2. Free throws nearly sink the Yellow Jackets 

Free throws were one of the many problems the Yellow Jackets had on Monday. Georgia Tech shot just 9-18 from the charity stripe, and at one point in the game was 1-6. The best free-throw shooter was Marshall, who went 5-6. Hard to believe he was after only hitting 26.3% of his free throws a year ago. Free throws are gimme buckets, and you have to take advantage of them when you get them. Georgia Tech needs to be better in this area if it wants to pull out wins this season. The competition is only going to get better the rest of the way. 

3. Scoring droughts are still a problem

Mar 12, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Damon Stoudamire reacts in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There were several droughts throughout the game; the Yellow Jackets couldn’t put the ball in the bucket. Georgia Tech went on three separate scoring droughts. One was in the first half that lasted about nine minutes. The other was the start of the second half, which went on for more than seven minutes before Sylla added a putback layup to stop the tide. Some of it has to do with Georgia Tech star big man Baye Ndongo not being available for the game, but at the same time, the Yellow Jackets faced the same thing last season. To be a team that makes the tournament, Georgia Tech has to figure this out and quickly. To take down any of the elite teams in the ACC, you have to be able to score the basketball at a high level. There is more concern about that moving forward than there was going in. 

4. Peyton Marshall Strong Homecoming Debut

Mar 19, 2025; Wichita, KS, USA; Missouri Tigers center Peyton Marshall (21) takes a shot during a practice session at Intrust Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

Marshall starred at Kell High School, where he brought the Longhorns their first-ever state championship in program history. He would go on to become a national prospect and play his college ball at Missouri. It didn’t work out, so he returned home to play for the Yellow Jackets. He made his presence felt all night long, crashing the offensive glass and keeping possessions alive. He was also huge at the end of the game for Georgia Tech, getting an offensive rebound and getting fouled as he tried to go up. He would split a pair of free throws but send the game to overtime for the Yellow Jackets to avoid the upset. Marshall nearly finished with a double-double, posting nine points and eight rebounds. 

5. Three Point Shooting Struggles remain a problem

It was an issue last year, and the Yellow Jackets went and got one of the best shooters from the transfer portal in Kam Craft. Craft didn’t have his best game, going 3-7 and 1-4 from beyond the arc. He did hit some big shots down the stretch of the game to keep the Yellow Jackets in it. As a team, Georgia Tech shot 5-26 from the field on Monday. They were 2-9 in the first half and even worse in the second half, going 2-14. The difference this year and a good sign moving forward is that the Yellow Jackets were missing open shots. Georgia Tech is doing a better job of creating open looks and collapsing the defense early on in the season. They just have to knock them down at a more efficient clip.