Gabe Madsen scored 16 points as Utah edged Georgia Tech 68-64 in the opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off in Fort Myers, Fla. Monday night.
Deivon Smith missed a layup for Georgia Tech in the waning seconds, and Madsen made two free throws to ice the victory.
Utah (4-1) led by as many as 19 points in the first half and withstood a number of Georgia Tech runs as Yellow Jackets took multiple brief leads.
Georgia Tech (3-1) shot 30 percent from the field in the first half, while Utah shot 48 percent. That discrepancy allowed the Utes to build a lead that was large enough to stand.
Georgia Tech prevailed in bench points with 31 points to Utah’s 16, but Utah’s starting five led the way as Lazar Stefanovic scored 11 points and Rollie Worster and Branden Carlsen each added 10. Marco Anthony had 11 off the bench.
Smith scored 15 points for the Yellow Jackets, while Dallan Coleman scored 11 and Ja’von Franklin added 11 off the bench.
Smith contributed 13 second-half points to get the Yellow Jackets back in contention. Coleman made a timely 3-pointer to give Georgia Tech a 48-44 lead with 10:35 to play.
A 7-0 run in about two minutes allowed Utah to reverse a Yellow Jacket lead into an advantage that it would carry into the end of regulation.
In the second half, the Utes were paced by nine points by Madsen. Worster added eight points in the crucial second period.
While Madsen was 1 of 7 from beyond the arc, Branden Carlson was 2 of 2 from 3-point range to help the Utes to victory.
Georgia Tech fell short of its first 4-0 start to the season since 2008-09.
Utah moves on to face the winner of Mississippi State and Marquette, while the Yellow Jackets face the loser of the following contest.
–Field Level Media