Baye Ndongo had 15 points, 11 rebounds and five assists on Sunday to help Georgia Tech earn an 89-65 victory over Florida A&M in Atlanta.
Ndongo added with three steals and three blocks for Georgia Tech (9-4), which won its fourth straight game to finish nonconference play. Reserve Chas Kelley III added 14 points, while Akai Fleming scored 12. Kowacie Reeves Jr. and Mouhamed Sylla each had 11 points and Lamar Washington totaled 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Kaleb Washington led Florida A&M (3-8) with 21 points, followed by Jaquan Sanders’ 20 points and five steals. Anquan Boldin Jr. tallied eight points for the Rattlers, who finished nonconference play with just a single Division I victory.
Reeves scored seven of Georgia Tech’s first nine points, giving the Yellow Jackets a 9-3 lead. Washington’s 3-pointer and Antonio Baker Jr.’s mid-range jumper pulled the visitors within a point with 14:42 left in the first half.
After Washington’s layup cut the Rattlers’ deficit to 19-16, Fleming’s five straight points began a 14-0 run, which was stamped with Lamar Washington’s basket to give Georgia Tech a 33-16 lead.
Seven players scored for the Yellow Jackets, who led 43-21 at halftime. Washington’s nine first-half points led Florida A&M, who were outrebounded 30-13 in the opening half and shot just 22.2% (8 for 36) from the field in the first 20 minutes.
Georgia Tech took its first 30-point lead at the 15:32 mark of the second half, as Kam Craft became the eighth Yellow Jackets player to reach the scoring column. Craft’s layup was part of an 11-0 spurt that gave Georgia Tech a commanding 63-29 advantage.
Florida A&M pieced together a 9-2 run — including Washington’s seven points — to cut its deficit to 66-40.
After Ndongo’s dunk put Georgia Tech ahead 73-49, Sanders scored five straight points before Boldin’s layup cut the Yellow Jackets’ lead to 73-56 with 5:24 remaining.
