Utah, Mississippi State win openers in Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off
Some of the best college basketball programs in the nation have arrived in Fort Myers for the annual Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off.
The high-stakes Beach Division games took place Monday night at Suncoast Credit Union Arena at Florida Southwestern State College.
In the first match-up, Utah outlasted Georgia Tech 68-64 in a game that came to the final minute.
The Utes had five players post double-digit scoring performances, led by guard Gabe Madsen who went 5-for-11 from the floor and added five rebounds and four assists.
“Well that’s a good win,” said Utah head coach Craig Smith. “Good bounce-back. We had a tough loss the other night and I thought we had two great days of preparation. Really proud of how we responded. Loved how we played connected.”
The Utes had a great first half and opened the game on a 23-4 run and took an 8-point advantage into the break. The Yellow Jackets fought their way back in the second half, nearly coming out on top. They outscored their opponent 36-32 in the second half.
Georgia Tech guard Deivon Smith led his team with 15 points, six reboots and four assists over 31 minutes.
“Credit to our young men to fight back,” said Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner. “In the second half we got a 4-point lead, but couldn’t extend it. Give Utah credit, we weren’t able to get some key stops late.”
In the second game, Mississippi State held on for a 58-55 win over Marquette in a defensive battle. The Bulldogs were led by guard Eric Reed Jr., who dropped 15 points (6-of-7 on free throws), adding two rebounds.
“Our offense is a work in progress,” said Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans. “We knew (Marquette) was going to compete at a high level. They were giving us problems. But we shot the three well and didn’t turn over the ball. We knew this was going to be a battle.”
The Golden Eagles were down 6 at the break and with a little under 8 minutes to play in the second half, had a 4-point lead. Mississippi State eventually took over down the stretch and escaped with a win.
“We’re disappointed in the end result but really proud of our guys with the way they fought back,” said Marquette head coach Shaka Smart. “This was probably about as challenging a start as we’ve had, to a game, in two years. And Mississippi State had a lot to do with that. We knew we were going to be playing against five guys on defense. I think in the second half when our guys got to cutting and moving, we were able to run better offense. The way our guys defended for most of the night is how we need to defend.”
Mississippi State will take on Utah in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Championship Game Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m. on FS1. Marquette and Georgia Tech will play in the third-place game at 6 p.m., also on FS1.
— Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad_cj
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com