Georgia Tech men’s basketball (1-1) suffered its first defeat of the new season on Sunday afternoon, falling 105-93 to North Florida (3-0) inside McCamish Pavilion.
The Yellow Jackets spread around the offense, with five players finishing with 10 or more points. Baye Ndongo delivered his first double-double of the season, and seventh of his career, finishing with a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds. Kowacie Reeves, Jr. (17), Luke O’Brien (15), Lance Terry (14) and Javian McCollum (14) rounded out the double-digit scorers. Naithan George filled the stat sheet, making a team-leading seven assists to go along with a career high six rebounds, five points and a steal.
The Jackets got off to a hot start offensively, pouring in 10 of their first 13 field goal attempts to go in front, 24-16 after only 6:37 of game time. Ndongo was crucial in the early success, making all three of his shot attempts while adding in two rebounds and a pair of assists, both to O’Brien on the back door.
North Florida battled back, eventually tying things at 26-26, the first tie since the beginning of play. The offensive showcase continued for both teams throughout the half with UNF holding a four-point lead after 20 minutes (53-49) and both teams shooting over 50 percent from the field.
The Ospreys maintained their offensive rhythm into the second, going on a 22-4 run to open a deficit as large as 20 points (80-60). Tech responded, midway through the frame, using Terry’s third three-pointer of the game to go on a 7-0 run and cut the lead to 80-67. The Jackets couldn’t get enough stops to cut the lead into single digits from there and would eventually fall, 105-93.