How Clemson basketball rebounded from first ACC loss to beat Georgia Tech

The 18th-ranked Clemson Tigers had four players score in double figures, with big men Jake Wallin and Nick Davidson scoring 13 points apiece, in a 77-63 victory over Georgia Tech at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta on Saturday.

Clemson (17-4 overall, 7-1 ACC) quickly bounced back from its first conference loss of the season against North Carolina State earlier this week, although it took the Tigers some time to warm up.

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Coach Brad Brownell’s team trailed 21-23 during the first half’s under-8 timeout, and the Tigers made a slew of 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes of the game but missed again. Clemson shot just 2 of 12 from beyond the arc.

The Tigers’ comeback quickly began. With 4 minutes and 43 seconds left in the half, Ace Buckner hit a three-pointer on a catch-and-shoot shot. Clemson went on a 12-0 run to lead 30-23.

Georgia Tech (11-9, 2-5) briefly erased its lead at 1:17 when Chas Kelly’s 3-pointer gave the Yellow Jackets a 33-32 advantage. Clemson had missed five consecutive shots before, but when Dillon Hunter hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Tigers led 35-33 at halftime.

In the second half, the Tigers took their first double-digit lead on back-to-back baskets by Buckner, whose three-pointer made it 48-37 with 13:34 left. Buckner’s 3-pointer was one of four consecutive 3-pointers for the Tigers, who led by as many as 16 points in the final minutes of the game.

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Clemson shot just 4 of 16 from 3-point range in the opening half, but the Tigers made 7 of 12 in the second half.

Clemson shot 46% from the field, while Georgia Tech shot 37% from the field. The Tigers won despite senior forward RJ Godfrey being limited to 18 minutes due to foul trouble. Godfrey had nine points and four rebounds, ending a streak of eight consecutive games with double figures.

With Godfrey on the bench for most of the game, Wallin had one of his best performances since transferring to Clemson from Utah State. The 6-foot-10 threat added eight rebounds to his 13 points as the Tigers’ rebounding leader. Wallin made 5 of 10 shots from the field, including 3 of 6 three-pointers.

Buckner and Hunter each scored 12 points and Clemson beat Georgia Tech in Atlanta for its fourth straight victory. Kowacie Reeves Jr., the Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer this season, scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting. But the Tigers allowed just one other Georgia Tech player to reach double figures: Lamar Washington with 10 points.

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The Tigers and Yellow Jackets will meet again on March 7 at Littlejohn Stadium to wrap up the regular season.