CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Georgia Tech got a pair of double-doubles from Baye Ndongo and Naithan George and broke a halftime tie to lead all by 16 seconds in the second half in a 66-60 win over Virginia in the second round of the 2025 T. Rowe ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, March 12.
The eighth-seeded Yellow Jackets (17-15) will play the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils (28-3) in the first game of the quarterfinals at noon ET on Thursday, March 13.
Ndongo recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds and George added 13 points and 10 boards for the Yellow Jackets. Duncan Powell led Georgia Tech with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting for the contest.
Virginia’s Isaac McNeely led all scorers with 27 points, including knocking down a game-high seven 3-pointers. The Cavaliers as a team shot just 36.2 percent for the game, including just 29.6 percent in the first half.
Georgia Tech’s largest lead of the first half was at 4-0 on back-to-back baskets from Powell and Ndongo, as the score remained within two possessions for most of the first half until a fastbreak layup from Jacob Cofie off a Georgia Tech turnover put the Cavaliers on top by seven at 19-12 with just over six minutes to go in the first half.
The Yellow Jackets outscored the Cavaliers 13-6 over the remainder of the opening period, tying the game up at 25-25 on two free throws by Powell heading into the halftime break.
The offense picked up in the second half, as the Yellow Jackets, who shot 50 percent over the final 20 minutes of play, pulled out to a five-point lead at 33-28 at the first media timeout of the second half.
Virginia fought back with a 7-0 run to tie the game up at 35-35 on a dunk from Elijah Saunders with 14:15 left to play, only to see the Yellow Jackets answer with an 8-0 run to take a 43-35 lead with just over 11 minutes in the contest.
Georgia Tech built a lead of as much as 13 points with just under three minutes remaining and appeared ready to advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday. However, Virginia fought back, narrowing the Jackets' lead to just two points at 62-60 with 25 seconds left in the game.
Four free throws from George down the stretch sealed the win for the Yellow Jackets.
GT outscored Virginia 40-24 in points in the paint and 13-4 in second chance points.
Of Note
- The two teams were deadlocked at 25 at halftime.
- Georgia Tech won the rebounding battle 44-26.
- Virginia’s Isaac McNeely connected on seven three-pointers, finishing with a game-high 27 points. It marked the fifth time this season in which McNeely sank five-or-more three-pointers in a game.
- McNeely’s seven made three-pointers are the second-most ever in an ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament game, trailing only Pitt’s Jared Wilson-Frame, who buried eight in 2019.
- Naithan George finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists, finishing just shy of the second triple-double in ACC Tournament history. George’s 11 rebounds marked a new career high.
- For the ninth time in the last 11 games, Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo recorded a double-double, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
- It marked the first time in Georgia Tech history that two players each finished with a double-double in an ACC Tournament game.
- The Jackets’ Duncan Powell scored 21 points in the contest, marking the sixth time this season where he scored 20 or more points in a game.
- The win for Georgia Tech was its 30th all-time in the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament.