Key Takeaways From Georgia Tech 82-66 Win Over West Georgia

Georgia Tech advanced to 5-1 on the season after a win over West Georgia in a dominant second-half performance to pull away. The Yellow Jackets have defeated West Georgia in back-to-back seasons. The Yellow Jackets are beginning to show signs that they are beginning to figure it out on the offensive end. Yes, you have to take it with a grain of salt because of the competition, but it was still a good win with positive signs. Let's take a look at what stood out.

1. Georgia Tech defense takes over in the second half

The Yellow Jackets held West Georgia to 32 points in the second half and 12-29 shooting. The Wolves also shot 1-8 from three-point range in the same half. A telling stat is that West Georgia was 7-14 on layups and struggled to score against the Yellow Jackets bigs, who did a good job of protecting the rim with contested shots. The perimeter defense for the Yellow Jackets continues to be impressive. Georgia Tech remains one of the best defenses in the country and is ranked No. 8 in the country, holding teams to 33.87% each game. They held West Georgia to just 39.1%.

2. Georgia Tech bigs playing at a high level

It was the second consecutive game where the Yellow Jackets bigs produced a double-double. Baye Ndongo was coming off a 20-point and 10-rebound performance. On Sunday, Ndongo finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds in the win. He was impressive from the field and made 70% of his shots. An area he has continued to improve is passing and being able to pass when a double comes or when he is in the post. Ndongo finished with five assists in the win over West Georgia. Mouhamed Sylla also added a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Peyton Marshall also chipped in seven points, two rebounds, and a block.

3. Kam Craft continues to light it up-

Craft has come up big over his last few games for the Yellow Jackets and has continued to be impressive. On Sunday, Craft finished with 15 points and was a big part of the Yellow Jackets run that allowed them to take full control of the game. Craft has crossed double-figures in two of the past three outings. He hit a season-high against Georgia, scoring 17 points. If Georgia Tech can continue to get these contributions from Craft, it will open up the paint and the perimeter for other players to get going.

4. Georgia Tech is sharing the ball

The Yellow Jackets finished with 20 assists on 33 made field goals on Sunday. The Yellow Jackets had three different players with five or more assists. Lamar Washington led the way with seven assists, even off the bench. Mustaf dished out five, and Ndongo added five. A mark of a good team is one that can share the ball and find the best shots. While the team has struggled with turnovers, the Yellow Jackets are continuing to find the best shots, which bodes well moving forward. When the three-point shot wasn’t falling on Sunday, the Yellow Jackets leaned on their paint presence and bigs. Georgia Tech shot 54% from the field in a win.

5. Georgia Tech has a well-balanced roster-

The Yellow Jackets don’t have to be overly reliant on one or two players in order to have success like they did last season. In the win, Georgia Tech had four players in double-figures in Sylla, Ndongo, Craft, and Kowacie Reeves on Sunday. The Yellow Jackets also had seven players with six points or more. It doesn’t matter what game it is; any Georgia Tech player can go off and score the basketball at a high level. This also bodes well when the defenses start to key in on Sylla and Ndongo in future games. Georgia Tech will have other players it can rely on to come up big for them.

More Georgia Tech Basketball News:

•Everything From Baye Ndongo And Jaeden Mustaf After A 66-64 Win Over Georgia Southern

•Everything From Head Coach Damon Stoudamire After A 66-64 Win Over Georgia Southern

•Jackets stave off Georgia Southern's Late Run To Remain Perfect At Home