Tigers lose late lead, fall in double OT to Yellow Jackets |
CLEMSON - A long night in Littlejohn could indicate another anxiety-filled push to March for
Brad Brownell’s Clemson Tigers.
After leading by as much as nine late in regulation, Clemson (12-5, 2-4 ACC) fell in double overtime to Georgia Tech (9-8, 2-4), 93-90. Clemson dropped its fourth game in the last five contests and a fifth in the last nine. The defeat was a first for Clemson versus an opponent in the NCAA’s NET Quadrant 3 or lower (Q3). PJ Hall reached a career-high with a bucket in the first overtime and extended Clemson’s lead to four points with under four to go in the session, but GT’s 15th 3-pointer of the night gave the Yellow Jackets a one-point advantage with under three minutes left there. With a one-point Georgia Tech lead and under a minute left, a Yellow Jackets turnover gave Clemson back the ball, and Hall went to the free throw line to hit 1-of-2 to tie the game back up at 82. After neither team could score on possessions in the final seconds, the game extended into a second overtime. Clemson couldn’t find footing in that second OT as Georgia Tech did find a way on the offensive end, with a Naithan George jumper extending a Yellow Jackets lead to three with under a minute left, and Clemson’s next possession saw Hall tied up under the hoop on a shot attempt, giving possession to Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets ran the clock down all the way to a shot clock violation for Clemson to get the ball back with under 13 seconds to go in the session, and a foul under the hoop on an errant Hall 3-pointer sent Ian Schieffelin to the free throw line with 4.8 seconds to go. He cut the lead to one by making both. Tech’s Kyle Sturdivant hit both ensuing free throw attempts to make it a 3-point game again, and Hall’s open 3-pointer was off the mark to round out the action. "It was a heck of a basketball game. They made some incredibly timely shots at the end of the game," Brownell said. "We just didn't quite close it out...I thought we guarded them well for a long while...The easy thing to look at is we're 3-for-21 from 3 and they're 15-of-35. 36 points is a lot to overcome. We just have to hang in here...There's still room to figure this out." Hall scored 31 points, adding 17 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Schieffelin tallied a career-best 20 points, 15 rebounds, and four assists. The win was only a second in the last 19 contests for Georgia Tech at Clemson. "At the end of the day, they made some big ole shots," Hall said. "It's those (defensive) breakdowns in the first half and the end of the second half that come back to bite you." A 6-0 Yellow Jackets run, guided by a 12th 3-pointer of the night, cut the Clemson advantage to three points with 52.8 seconds left in regulation. Hall rebounded his own miss on the ensuing possession to extend Clemson’s possession, where Joseph Girard III then went to the free throw line to extend the Clemson lead back to five. Georgia Tech’s Nathan George hit a 3-pointer to answer to keep the pressure on. Hunter went to the free throw line to hit 1-of-2, and George was there again for his fourth trey of the night to tie the game at 71. The Tigers led by as much as nine in the first half, but the Yellow Jackets made up for some size issues with perimeter shooting. Seven of Georgia Tech’s first nine field goals were 3-pointers, aiding in a 14-3 run for the Yellow Jackets to take their second lead of the game with 1:32 left in the first half. Hall’s steal and drive for the layup to complete his 13 points in the first 20 minutes was the difference, however, in a 32-30 halftime edge. Hall grabbed nine rebounds in the first half, and the Tigers held a 10-rebound (and four offensive rebound) edge at the break. Chase Hunter helped Clemson get a little breathing room out of the half with five quick points, but the Yellow Jackets hung tough to the final minutes. Hall reached the 20-point mark for the ninth time this season with nine to go, extending the Clemson edge to five points. The Yellow Jackets tallied four of the first five made 3-pointers of the second half to cut the Tigers’ advantage to two points with 6:44 left. Hall’s hook shot with just under three and a half minutes left gave Clemson a 5-point edge again. Schieffelin backed that up with a tough bucket on Clemson’s next possession to stretch the lead to seven with under three minutes left. Clemson hits the road next to take on Florida State this Saturday (4 p.m./ACCN). "As a competitor, you've got to man up. You got to recharge your battery and go again," Brownell said. "I've got to keep reminding our team that we're a good team...We do have to fix some things. I thought we got better defensively tonight...We also have to make some more timely shots..." Notes: Just under 10 minutes in, NC State transfer wing Jack Clark made his return from injury (lower body) for his first action since Nov. 28 at Alabama. He played ten minutes total, grabbing two rebounds and tallying an assist. Clark started three games for the Tigers early in the season and averaged nine points and 6.9 rebounds with the Wolfpack last year. The Yellow Jackets refuse to let the Tigers buzz them down! 🐝
Georgia Tech gets the DOUBLE OT WIN, 93-90 over Clemson! @GTMBB | #ACCMBB pic.twitter.com/wAjndUhpOW
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