In-state rivals Georgia Tech and Georgia will aim to continue their winning ways when the two meet Tuesday night in Athens, Ga.
Georgia Tech (4-2) knocked off then-No. 21 Mississippi State 67-59 and then-No. 7 Duke 72-68 at home last week.
In the upset of the Blue Devils, Baye Ndongo, Miles Kelly and Kowacie Reeves Jr. all scored in double figures. Ndongo, a freshman averaging 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, had a season-high 21 points, while Kelly, the team’s leading scorer (18.8 points) and rebounder (6.7 per game), added 16 points and seven boards.
Reeves added 14 points to go along with his four rebounds.
After tough losses to UMass Lowell and Cincinnati, head coach Damon Stoudemire was pleased to see the fruits of his team’s hard work in the win over the Blue Devils.
“It was a great moment for the players, myself and the staff,” Stoudamire said. “We’ve put in a lot of work to this point and it was rewarding.”
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs (5-3) notched their third win in a row after an 80-69 victory over Mercer last Friday.
The Bulldogs are led by veteran guards Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Noah Thomasson and RJ Melendez. Abdur Rahim is the team’s leading scorer at 13.1 points per game, while Thomasson is averaging 12.4 points an outing.
Melendez came off the bench in the win over Mercer and went 5-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-4 from the 3-point line, on his way to a team-high 18 points. Seven-footer Russel Tchewa added 10 points and eight rebounds in the win over the Bears.
Melendez, who has started five games prior to coming off the bench in the past three, said the move didn’t bother him.
“Coach made some changes in the lineup and it didn’t bother me,” Melendez said. “Whatever it takes to win, I’m good with it.”
The Yellow Jackets lead the rivalry series 107-91.
