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 p.m. Wednesday night at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena. The Utes (4-1) are in the championship game against Mississippi State at 8:30 p.m. 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.
Deivon Smith led the Yellow Jackets with a seasn-high 15 points, adding six rebounds and four assists. (photo by Reily Rogers)
Post-Game Notes
- Tech has started the same lineup for each of the first four games – four guards around center Rodney Howard.
- Tech has utilized a nine-player rotation in each of its first three games. All nine scored points against Clayton State and Northern Illinois, while eight registered in the scoring column at Georgia State. Seven tallied against Utah.
- Tech shot season-low from the floor (34.8 pct.), from three-point range (21.7 pct.) and from the foul line (55 pct.).
- After getting to the free throw line 51 times in its first two games, Tech has attempted just 33 foul shots in the last two.
- Tech committed just five turnovers against Utah, which matched a low for the Yellow Jackets under Josh Pastner (5 vs. Notre Dame on Feb. 1, 2020).
- Tech forced 19 Utah turnovers and have a plus-21 (5.3 per game) advantage in turnovers through four games
- Tech’s 13 steals were a season high and its most since swiping 13 against Florida State last Jan. 26.
- Tech has limited its first four foes to 16-of-76 shooting from three-point range (21.1 percent). The Jackets lead the ACC and rank 10th nationally in three-point defense.
- Miles Kelly has made a three-point field goal in 10 consecutive games dating back to last Feb. 21 at Syracuse. He went 0-1 at Pittsburgh the game before that. Over the 10-game stretch he is 19-for-45 (42.2 percent). He is, however, just 2-for-14 in his last two games.
- Kelly has hit 27-of-65 (41.5 pct.) from three-point range over Tech’s last 17 games dating back to Jan. 23 vs. Clayton State. He was 5-for-30 over the Jackets’ first 17 games of last season.
- Kelly failed to reach double figures for the first time in six games (he had 9 points vs. Utah). Kelly had averaged 14.6 points in his last five games dating back to last season’s regular-season finale against Boston College.
- Deivon Smith has reached double-figure points for the three times in four games and is now averaging in double figures for the season (10.8 ppg). His 15 points against Utah were a team-high.
- Smith has 10 assists in his last two games and leads the Yellow Jackets with 13 in four games. He also has 15 rebounds in the last two games and is tied for the team lead this season at 6.5 per game.
- Ja’von Franklin has scored 25 points, taken 19 rebounds, blocked six shots and dished five assists in Tech’s last two games. He had 10/7/4/2 in Tech’s first two games.
- Franklin also reached double figures in points for the 23rd time in his career, first as a Yellow Jacket.
- Deebo Coleman has reached double figures in three straight games (13.0 ppg).
Ja’von Franklin came off the bench to score 11 points and grab eight rebounds. (photo by Reily Rogers)
