Instant Takeaways From Georgia Tech 76-65 Loss To California On Senior Night

Georgia Tech dropped its 11th consecutive game on Wednesday evening after a 76-65 loss on senior night to California. The Yellow Jackets started the game off hot and nailed all five of their shots to begin the game. However, they couldn’t maintain the momentum and fell in the second half. The Yellow Jackets are now 11-19 on the season. Let’s take a look at some of the key takeaways from the loss.

1. California's second-half run takes control of the game

The Golden Bears had 44 second-half points on 50% shooting from the floor. Leading them in the second half was Dai Dai Ames, who finished with 18 points on 6-7 shooting from the field and knocked down two three pointers. California used a 13-4 run to get out to a lead in the second half for the first time in the game. The Golden Bears took their first double-digit lead of the game at the 9:22 mark in the second half and led 59-47. The Yellow Jackets couldn’t stop the bleeding and only scored 29 points in the second half on 7-21 shooting. Georgia Tech shot itself in the foot with 10 turnovers, which led to 11 points and allowed California to get firm control of the game.

2. Lee Dort gives the Yellow Jackets-

Dort finished with 16 points on 8-11 shooting from the floor. He was a dominating force in the paint, and the Yellow Jackets had no answer for him. He also grabbed six rebounds, dished out two assists, and added two blocks on the defensive end of the floor. It was a major performance for him on the road as he couldn’t be stopped by the interior defense of the Yellow Jackets. A lot of his damage came in the first half, where he scored 10 points and wreaked havoc in the land. In the second half, it would be more of the same as he got out for breakaway jams and slammed the basketball with authority.

3. Kowacie Reeves puts together a dazzling performance on senior night

Reeves started off the game with nine points on 3-3 shooting from the field. He finished with a game-high 19 points in the first half on 6-10 shooting from the field and 5-8 from beyond the arc.

It was a spectacular showing from Reeves, who put together a strong performance on senior night and carried the Yellow Jackets in the first half of the game. Reeves finished with a game-high 19 points. He couldn’t quite carry the same momentum in the second half of the game, but he set the tone for the Yellow Jackets and went out the right way in his final home game in a Yellow Jackets uniform.

4. Georgia Tech finally avoids the slow start

The Yellow Jackets got out to a 13-4 start to the game and led by double-figures multiple times in the first half. Georgia Tech had a 36-32 lead at the break and looked like a new team on the floor when they were out there. While the second half proved a different story for the Ramblin Wreck, we have seen semblances this season where they can play well for a half and put it together. The problem has been consistent for two halves in a lot of games. Either the Yellow Jackets have a slow start or don’t come out with the same energy in the second half of games, which is why they have now lost 11 consecutive contests.

5. Jaeden Mustaf steadies the Yellow Jackets

It was a struggle in the second half for the Yellow Jackets, but Mustaf was the go-to guy on the offensive end of the floor. He finished with seven second-half points on 2-2 shooting. He continued to not settle and attack the rim, which led to fouls on the other end. He finished with a near double-double, recording 10 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Mustaf also added two assists to his stat line on the night.

6. Baye Ndongo has a tough night and looks like he has regressed

He had eight points on 3-5 shots on the night, but did a lot of his damage from the free-throw line, going 2-4 from the charity stripe. The good was that he grabbed six rebounds on the night, but the bad outweighed the good. What made it worse was that he had a team-high seven turnovers for the Yellow Jackets, and five of them came in the second half. Ndongo was a -12 on the floor in the second half of the game. He picked up his fourth foul of the game on the offensive end after he collided with Milos Ilic, and it halted momentum after the Yellow Jackets cut a double-digit lead to just six points with 3:33 left in the game. The Yellow Jackets wouldn’t recover and ultimately fell to the Golden Bears.