Fort Myers, Fla. – Georgia Tech forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 24 points, but the Yellow Jackets shot the ball poorly early and in the game’s final minutes, dropping a 68-64 decision to Utah in the opening round of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off .
It was the first loss for the Jackets after three wins to open the season, and dropped them into the third-place game of the event against Marquette at 6 pm Wednesday night at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena. The Utes (4-1) are in the championship game against Mississippi State at 8:30 pm The Bulldogs got past the Golden Eagles, 58-55, in the other semifinal game Monday.
The Yellow Jackets missed their first eight shots from the floor and 15 of their first 17 to fall behind 23-4, but rallied behind guard Deivon Smith, who led Tech with 15 points and had four assists, and forward Ja’von Franklin, who had 11 points and eight rebounds. Deebo Coleman also reached double figures with 11 points.
Despite shooting just 30 percent from the floor, Tech whittled its deficit down to eight (36-28) by the halftime break. The Jackets erased the rest of the Utah lead in the first eight minutes of the second half, outscoring the Utes 17-4 over that stretch, including an 11-0 run that put Tech ahead 45-42 with 11:58 remaining. Miles Kelly scored eight of his nine points in the game during the run.
The teams traded baskets for the next four minutes and Tech still led 57-54 at the 7:22 media timeout. But the Jackets made just one of eight shots from the floor after that. Rollie Worster hit a three from straight on to tie the game at 57 with 5:48 left, and Lazar Stefanovic drove for a layup to give Utah the lead for good at the 4:55 mark.
Tech remained within striking distance and had one chance to tie or take the lead in the closing seconds. Down 66-64, Smith drove the lane and put up an off-balance shot that would not go down, and the Utes’ Gabe Madsen iced the game with a pair of free throws with just 1.7 seconds on the clock.
The Jackets turned the ball over a season-low five times, but finished the game making just 34.8 percent of their field goals and just 5-of-23 three-point attempts. Tech had 18 offensive rebounds, but converted them into only nine points, and struggled from the free throw line, making just 11 of 20 attempts.
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