Feb. 01, 2017
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CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) The Yellow Jackets rallied down the stretch to cut the Tigers’ lead to 65-58 with 2:14 to go, but would get no closer as Georgia Tech ultimately fell to Clemson by a score of 74-62 on Wednesday night.
Avry Holmes had 18 points off four 3-pointers and Shelton Mitchell made six foul shots in the final minute for Clemson.
The Tigers (13-8, 3-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) looked like they had this one wrapped up early with a 55-34 lead on Elijah Thomas’ basket with 9:14 to play. But the Yellow Jackets (13-9, 5-5) rallied down the stretch to cut the large lead to 65-58 with 2:14 to go.
Georgia Tech, though, could get no closer as the cold-shooting team missed the three shots it took the rest of the way to lose its 12th straight road game in the series – Clemson’s longest home win streak against any ACC opponent.
Mitchell ended with 15 points and Thomas 12 before fouling out in the final minute. Donte Grantham had 11 while leading scorer Jaron Blossomgame was the fifth Tiger in double-digits with 10 points.
Ben Lammers had a career high 25 points for the Yellow Jackets, surpassing the 24 he got earlier this month against Louisville. Lammers was 12 of 18 from the floor and grabbed nine rebounds.
The loss ended a two-game win streak for the Yellow Jackets, who had beaten Florida State and Notre Dame in the last week to get into the upper half of the ACC standings. But Georgia Tech has had its struggles on the road in league play, falling for the third straight time.
BIG PICTURE
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets have been an ACC surprise this season with wins over North Carolina, Florida State and Notre Dame. At Clemson, though, Georgia Tech was largely cold from the floor. While Lammers made six of his eight shots, the rest of the Yellow Jackets were only 5-of-16 shooting. They also had 11 turnovers the first 20 minutes, nearly as many as the 14 a game they’ve averaged this season.
Clemson: The Tigers finally broke out of a six-game ACC losing streak at Pittsburgh last time out and worked hard to keep the good play flowing at home, where the team has not won since defeating UNC Wilmington on Dec. 28. Holmes went 3-of-3 from behind the arc to push Clemson to an eight-point lead at the break.
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech continues its road swing at Wake Forest on Saturday.
Clemson travels to No. 15 Florida State on Sunday.
