RECAP: Javian McCollum Leads Georgia Tech Past West Georgia 85-62, Yellow Jackets Open Season 1-0

Georgia Tech is now 1-0 after their win vs West Georgia on Wednesday night

Feb 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Damon Stoudamire on the sideline against the Clemson Tigers in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech began year two under Damon Stoudamire tonight and they did so by getting an easy win over West Georgia 85-62. It was not a perfect night for the Yellow Jackets, but they got the job done and are now 1-0.

Georgia Tech returned two of the ACC's best young player duos in the ACC with Nait George and Baye Ndongo, but it was Oklahoma transfer Javian McCollum who was the star for Georgia Tech tonight. McCollum scored 18 points on 7-12 shooting and also had five assists. The Yellow Jackets offense was solid for most of the night and McCollum led the way.

Kowacie Reeves is one of the veterans back on the team and he scored 15 points on 6-13 shooting and he also had three blocks. Ndongo posted a solid stat line that included 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. He only took five shots, but Ndongo was effective in his minutes. Transfer Luke O'Brien put together an eight point and 10 rebound night as well.

Overall, the Yellow Jackets shot 49% from the floor and 26% from three (7-27). The three-point shooting could stand to be better, but with Georgia Tech outrebounding West Georgia 49-25, it did not matter as much.

The bench outside of Lance Terry (nine points) and Duncan Powell (nine points) was not very productive tonight, though for many of the players, it was their first game. Freshmen Jaeden Mustaf and Doryan Onwuchekwa combined for eight points and fellow freshman Darrion Sutton only played seven minutes.

Let's recap tonight's opening night win.

The starters for Georgia Tech in tonight's game were Nait George, Javian McCollum, Kowacie Reeves, Luke O'Brien, and Baye Ndongo.

The game started off really well for the Yellow Jackets. In the first five minutes of the game, they lept out to an 11-2 lead and hit five of their first six shots. They held the Wolves to 1-8 shooting to start and the only negative in the open was that George picked up two personal fouls. The team had a problem with turnovers early in the game and West Georgia did cut the lead to 11-7. Then the Yellow Jackets responded with a 7-0 run to get the lead to 11, 18-7.

While the starting lineup was something to watch going into the game, so was the rotation. Lance Terry and Jaeden Mustaf were the first subs, then it was Duncan Powell and Doryan Onwuchekwa. Stoudamire elected to use a nine-man rotation in the first half.

After getting out to a 22-14 lead, the offense for the Yellow Jackets really started to click. McCollum and Terry were doing a great job of leading the offense in the first half and a 17-6 run for the Yellow Jackets to push the lead to 39-20. West Georgia was getting beat on the glass and they had no way of defending the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech led 50-29 at the half.

Reeves was the leading scorer for Georgia Tech at the end of the first half with 11 points on 5-7 shooting. McCollum had 10 points and four assists, O'Brien nearly had a first-half double-double with eight points and seven rebounds, and Terry led the bench with nine points.

The second half saw Georgia Tech outscore West Georgia only 35-33, but their foot seemed to be off the gas for the entirety of the second half. The Wolves ended up hitting more three's (5-9) in the second half, but it was still a very comfortable win for the Yellow Jackets, 85-62, and they were never in any real danger of the game getting too close.

Getting an opening night win is huge and now Stoudamire has his team 1-0 heading into Sunday's game vs North Florida. This is a game that Georgia Tech cannot afford to take lightly either, as North Florida has already gotten one upset win this year, beating South Carolina earlier this week.

The bottom line is that Georgia Tech is 1-0 and has plenty of things to work on as the schedule starts to ramp up.

That's 1️⃣ for the Yellow Jackets 🐝@GTMBB | @GTAthletics | #StingEm pic.twitter.com/ihrpCBRbFx

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 7, 2024

Additional Links:

Georgia Tech vs West Georgia: Game Preview, Betting Odds, and Projected Starting Lineups For Tonight's Game

Georgia Tech Football: Brent Key Describes the Challenges of Facing Cam Ward

Georgia Tech Football: Yellow Jackets Release Depth Chart Ahead of Matchup vs No. 4 Miami