SALT LAKE CITY - Freshman Andrew Bogut scored 15 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in his Utah debut as the Utes rallied to defeat Georgia State 46-38 Monday in the first round of the Preseason NIT.<br>
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Bogut, a 6-foot-10 forward from Australia, had eight points down the stretch as Utah held the Panthers to five points in the last 7:51 of the game.<br>
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Richard Chaney had eight points and Justin Hawkins added seven for Utah, which played just one upperclassman. Utah plays Minnesota on Wednesday.<br>
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Reo Logan led Georgia State with 11 points and Kevin Thomas scored eight as the Panthers shot 6 of 26 from the field in the second half.<br>
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Georgia State led 31-26 on Reo Logan's jumper before Chris Jackson's dunk sparked a 12-3 run. Bogut made two baskets in the run and his assist to Justin Hawkins with 2:24 remaining gave Utah a 38-34 lead.<br>
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Utah's pressure man-to-man defense allowed only three field goals in the final 12:05 as the Panthers were unable to get close to their lowest output of last season of 57 points.<br>
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Led by Bogut in the low post, the Utes outscored the Panthers 36-22 in the paint.<br>
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The Panthers' trapping press defense rattled the Utes and Utah committed four turnovers before they scored a single point. Georgia State jumped to an 8-0 lead and never trailed in the first half.<br>
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The tournament is using a 3-point line at 20 feet 6.25 inches and a trapezoid lane that widens from 12 feet at the free throw line to 19 feet 8.25 inches on the baseline. Utah missed all eight 3-point attempts and the teams combined to shoot 3 of 21 from beyond the arc.<br>
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The game marked the first meeting between the two teams.<br>
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Senior center Tim Frost, the Utes' second leading scorer last season, has been out since the start of practice with a sore back.<br>
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The Utes are 14-1 under Rick Majerus in season openers. The only loss was to Kansas in Kansas City in the 1995 BCI Classic.
