Key Takeaways From Georgia Tech's 70-60 Win Over SE Louisiana

It wasn’t the prettiest win for the Yellow Jackets on Monday night against SE Louisiana. They struggled in various areas, but one of the things they have shown this season is the ability to win tough, gritty games. The season opener was a great example against MD Eastern where Georgia Tech trailed for a good portion of the game, but made the necessary plays late in order to win the game.

1. Mouhamed Sylla continues strong start to the season

Another game and another double-double for the Sylla. In just three games, Sylla now has three consecutive double-doubles. Sylla was the leading scorer for Georgia Tech in its win over SE Louisiana, finishing with 16 points on 8-12 shooting. He also added 10 rebounds and two blocks. Sylla was highlighted earlier in the day by On3 Jamie Shaw as one of the top impact freshmen. He certainly has been making his name known and continuing to dominate in the paint on offense.

🔥 Freshman Impact Watch — Week 1 college basketball top 10 power rankings

Who stood out most to you? 👀

[FULL BREAKDOWN] 👉 https://t.co/llRXI6tTzK pic.twitter.com/umSvarsExW
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) November 10, 2025

Sylla was a big recruiting win for the Yellow Jackets, and it is paying massive dividends.

2. Georgia Tech has a real scorer in Akai Fleming

Latest — Akai Fleming & Kowacie Reeves After A Big Win | Photo Via Najeh Wilkins (SI) | Akai Fleming & Kowacie Reeves After A Big Win | Photo Via Najeh Wilkins (SI)

Fleming proved once again he can prove a scoring punch for the Yellow Jackets on a night they didn’t shoot the ball the best from the field. Fleming came in and had nine points and was 3-4 from the field in the first half. He finished with 12 points and went 5-6 from the charity stripe. His ability to create allows him to probe into the lane and get easy baskets at the rim or draw contact. With his ability to create, it allows Georgia Tech to have a guy that can get them out of ruts and one they can lean on. I think Fleming should have a bigger role in the offense, especially when he had back-to-back good games. His defensive prowess is another thing that catches your eye with his ability to make opponents take tough shots and how he stays in front of them.

3. Georgia Tech must clean up its turnovers.

The Yellow Jackets far too often turned over the basketball against SE Louisiana. They had 13 in the first half alone, which matched the most turnovers they had all season. Georgia Tech really struggled with the ball pressure that Southeast Louisiana applied and continued to make bad reads on the press and traps. One thing that helped this was the assertion of Lamar Washington and Eric Chatfield. They both did a good job of managing the game and setting up the offense. Neither looked fazed. Chatfield has a calm about his game, and Washington is a wily veteran.

Washington gave the team the spark with his effort on defense and setting up Baye Ndongo and Sylla.

4. The Yellow Jackets ball pressure was critical in the win

When Georgia Tech got back into the game, they leaned on their defense and its pressure to suffocate SE Louisiana. SE Louisiana also had a lot of turnovers similar to the Yellow Jackets. SLW had 20 turnovers and struggled with it more in the second half when Georgia Tech changed up its defensive style. The on-ball pressure from Chatfield and Lamar Washington led to more turnovers and easy baskets at the rim. Georgia Tech scored 23 points off turnovers compared to just 10 points scored by SMU. If Georgia Tech can continue to play defense at this type of level, they will be in any game.

5. Georgia Tech needs more from Kam Craft

Craft struggled mightily on Monday night and didn’t nail a single basket on the evening. He was brought in to give the Yellow Jackets floor spacing and a player who could knock down shots at a high level. The junior sharpshooter had nine points on 3-9 shooting from the field against Bryant. The Yellow Jackets struggled to put the ball in the basket, especially from three-point range. Georgia Tech shot 5-15 from three-point range. Before coming to the Yellow Jackets, Craft was one of the best shooters in the country for Miami (OH), but he has’ quite found the groove just yet with Georgia Tech. If the Yellow Jackets can get him going, they should be in a good position and make more threes from beyond the arc.

More Georgia Tech News:

•Everything From Mouhamed Sylla and Kowacie Reeves After Win Over MD Eastern Shore

•Everything From Head Coach Damon Stoudamire After A 56-52 Win Over MD Eastern

•Georgia Tech vs MD Eastern Live Updates | NCAA Basketball

•Three Things To Watch For In Georgia Tech's Season Opener Against MD Eastern