Baye Ndongo had 26 points and 13 rebounds, including the game-winning putback as time expired, helping Georgia Tech earn a 90-88 overtime win over California on Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference play in Atlanta.
Naithan George added 26 points and eight assists, while Duncan Powell chipped in 19 points, as Georgia Tech (13-13, 7-8 ACC) won its fourth game in five tries.
Jeremiah Wilkinson led Cal (12-14, 5-10) with 25 points, followed by Andrej Stojakovic’s 22 and Rytis Petraitis’ 12. Mady Sissoko collected 10 points and 11 rebounds, and DeJuan Campbell also had 10 as the Golden Bears dropped their third straight game and fifth in their past six.
In overtime, Stojakovic’s mid-range jumper gave Cal an 86-81 lead with 2:45 left. George’s 3-pointer and Lance Terry’s transition layup knotted the game with two minutes remaining. Sissoko’s dunk was answered with Ndongo’s layup, tying the score at 88 with 43 seconds left. On Cal’s ensuing possession, Sissoko lost the ball out of bounds, leading to Ndongo’s game-winner on George’s missed layup.
After Georgia Tech’s five-point halftime lead was extended to six on Powell’s 3-pointer with just over 17 minutes left in regulation, Wilkinson’s personal 5-0 run cut Cal’s deficit to one.
With Cal trailing 52-48, Wilkinson and Stojakovic drained two straight triples to give the Golden Bears their first lead of the second half with 12:42 left. Wilkinson’s fourth 3-pointer gave Cal a three-point edge with just under nine minutes left, before George’s five straight points helped the Yellow Jackets take a 66-64 lead.
With 7:20 remaining, Powell’s triple gave Georgia Tech a 69-66 lead, but Campbell’s 3-pointer and Petraitis’ pair of free throws put the Golden Bears ahead by two.
With Georgia Tech still trailing by a pair, Terry’s jumper, Powell’s layup and two free throws gave the Yellow Jackets a 77-73 advantage. Petraitis’ putback layup and Stojakovic’s free throws knotted the score at 77 with 1:18 remaining. Ndongo and Stojakovic then traded baskets, before Petraitis rebounded Terry’s missed 3-pointer with 18.4 seconds left and called a timeout. Wilkinson missed the potential game-winning layup on regulation’s final play.
Lee Dort’s hook shot gave Cal an 11-9 lead, before Georgia Tech’s 8-0 run. After the Yellow Jackets built an eight-point edge, Petraitis knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to trim the Golden Bears’ deficit to two.
Back-to-back Ndongo baskets built Georgia Tech’s lead back to eight with a minute left in the first half, but Wilkinson’s triple cut Cal’s halftime deficit to 39-34.
–Field Level Media
