Feb. 28, 2015
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CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) Rod Hall scored five of his 15 points in overtime as Clemson recovered from blowing a 23-point lead to defeat Georgia Tech 70-63 in overtime on Saturday.
The Tigers (16-12, 8-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) appeared to have this one put away early, up 30-7 late in the first half and still comfortably in front 54-38 with less than seven minutes left. But the Yellow Jackets (12-17, 4-13) used a 22-6 run to the finish and tied the game on Josh Heath’s foul shots with 37.5 seconds to go.
The extra period, though, was all Clemson with Donte Grantham getting a layup and Hall scoring the next four points to build a 66-60 lead. Georgia Tech could not get closer and lost for the 10th straight time at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Jaron Blossomgame had 19 points to lead Clemson and Damarcus Harrison added 15.
Marcus Georges-Hunt had 20 points for Georgia Tech, which went 1-10 shooting in overtime.
Clemson was up 30-7 in the first half and still comfortably ahead 54-38 on Rod Hall’s bucket with 6:55 to go. That’s when the Yellow Jackets found their stroke. Jackson started with a 3-pointer before Georges-Hunt’s three-point play. When Travis Jorgenson followed with a 3, Georgia Tech had the lead in single digits, 54-47.
Georges-Hunt had six straight points in the final 90 seconds and Heath made two foul shots with to tie the game at 60-all. Hall dribbled away the ball late in Clemson’s following possession to lead to extra time.
Both Clemson and Georgia Tech had lost four of their past five ACC games with the Yellow Jackets win in their stretch coming against the Tigers, 63-52, on Feb. 16.
This one, though, was all Clemson, in a large part to the awful shooting performance in the first half by the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech missed its first 14 shots over the opening 14 minutes of the period, finally breaking through the lid on the basket with Georges-Hunt’s 3-pointer with 6:04 remaining before the break.
By then, the Tigers were up 26-7 and cruising. The half closed with Harrison getting fouled on a desperation three-point try in the final second. He made two of three foul shots to send Clemson into the locker room ahead 35-16.
Georgia Tech finished 4 of 24 from the field (16.7 percent) with only Georges-Hunt, Robert Sampson and Corey Heyward making field goals.
TIP INS
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets have lost 12 of their 14 ACC games by a combined 46 points, that includes overtime defeats at Notre Dame, against NC State and at Clemson.
Clemson: Tigers coach Brad Brownell won eight ACC games for the fourth time in his first five seasons, which had not been accomplished previously in program history.
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech closes ACC regular-season play at home Tuesday night against No. 15 North Carolina.
