Shorthanded Yellow Jackets Handle Lafayette 95-81

The Yellowjackets are now 8-1 at home

Dec 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets center Cole Kirouac (8) shoots against the Marist Red Foxes in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Five days away from the holidays, Georgia Tech takes on its eight out of nine game home stand opponent, the Lafayette Leopards.

Unraveling the tea leaves left by Coach Damon Stoudamire, just ten games in the season, and it reads building inner confidence. What does that mean, you ask?

Scheduling mid-majors is what I mean. Knowing the laborious conference gauntlet this team will encounter at the end of December, Coach Stoudamire knew that this year's team's confidence would have to be built from the start.

Lamar Washington, who has emerged as the bona fide point guard for Georgia Tech, has continued to pay dividends for this team, scoring the most points in a half, 43. Washington had 10 points and 7 assists in the first half.

Kam Craft had success shooting the basketball from distance; he went to halftime with 9 points (3-4) 3PT FG.

On the wrong end of the half scoring run, 15-11, Georgia Tech's first-half lead shrank to 6, 47-41.

Carrying offensive intent into the second half, freshman Akai Fleming asserted himself, attacking the rim and finding himself at the free-throw line for 12 attempts. Making 11 of the 12, he finished with 20 points and 5 rebounds.

Outscoring the Leopards 46-38 in the second half, the Jackets defeated Lafayette by 14 points, 95-81.

Kowacie Reeves and Washington were the other two Jackets to reach the 20 point mark.

Plus 11 in the rebounding category for Caoch Stoudamire's squad, despite missing Baye Ndongo (knee) and Jaden Mustaf (undisclosed). The guards stepped in very well and accounted for 17 of the team's 39 rebounds.

Ndongo now has missed three consecutive games to Mustaf's second consecutive.

Stepping up in Ndongo's absence, Peyton Marshall played a significant 16 minutes in Saturday's game, shooting a perfect 4-4 from the field, reaching the 10-point mark, and adding 2 blocks.

Mouhamed Sylla was noticeably in discomfort in today's win, logging 16 minutes. Though not playing well below his workload, he was still impactful, he finished with 8 points 3 offensive rebounds, and 1 steal.

At the post-game press conference, Coach Stoudamire shared that Sylla had missed a full week of practice nursing his injury.

"Mo hadn't practiced all week, so he was trying to get through, but he gave us what he could," said Coach Stoudamire.

Chas Kelly III saw a noticeable uptick in minutes, logging 23 in the win. As he continues to settle into his three‑and‑D role for Georgia Tech, his impact is becoming increasingly clear. It won’t show up in the box score, but Kelly was instrumental in disrupting several of Lafayette’s fast‑break opportunities, providing timely stops that steadied the Jackets’ defense.

Plenty of speculation has swirled about how tight Coach Stoudamire’s rotation will become once conference play begins, but freshman Cole Kirouac looks like a strong candidate to break the mold.

Whether he'll see a lot of minutes moving forward remains to be seen, but he has averaged 7 minutes of play in his 8 games played. Though sample sized, he's made winning plays; with Sylla's ankle being in question moving forward, he may see an increase in minutes.