Ndongo helps Georgia Tech hold off Hawaii 73-68 in Diamond Head Classic semifinal

HONOLULU -- — Freshman Baye Ndongo scored a season-best 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help Georgia Tech hold off Hawaii 73-68 at the Diamond Head Classic on Friday night.

The Yellow Jackets (8-3) advance to play Nevada in the championship game on Sunday. The Rainbow Warriors (8-3) and TCU will play for third place earlier Sunday.

Ndongo sank 10 of 12 shots and notched his second double-double, taking over down the stretch for Georgia Tech.

A 3-pointer by Naithan George gave the Yellow Jackets their largest lead at 52-31 with 16:24 left to play. Matthue Cotton answered with a 3-pointer for Hawaii, sparking a 19-0 run. Harry Rouhliadeff hit a 3-pointer to cap the surge, pulling the Rainbow Warriors within 52-50 with 9:04 remaining.

George hit one of two free throws to end the run, but Hawaii kept coming and took a 59-58 lead on two free throws by Bernardo da Silva at the 4:35 mark. Ndongo answered with back-to-back layups and scored eight of the next 10 points for the Yellow Jackets to keep the Rainbow Warriors at bay.

George and Miles Kelly added 14 points apiece for Georgia Tech.

JoVon McClanahan finished with 19 points and eight assists to pace Hawaii. Da Silva scored 17, while Justin McKoy pitched in with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Ndongo scored 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting to lead Georgia Tech to a 43-27 lead at halftime.

Hawaii won the annual tournament it hosts last season, beating SMU in the championship game on a 3-pointer by McClanahan at the buzzer.

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