CLEMSON, S.C. – Georgia Tech held the lead at halftime, but Clemson used a strong second half to take a 57-41 win Thursday night in Littlejohn Coliseum. Cameron Swartz led the Jackets with 14 points.
Georgia Tech (12-12, 3-10 ACC) pushed its lead out to as many as 10 points in the first half, quickly gaining momentum early with a 9-2 lead off an Aixa Wone Aranaz jumper at 7:23. Swartz led all scorers with 10 points in the first half as the Jacket put together a personal 7-0 run to open the second frame for a 25-15 Tech advantage with 7:39 to play. But a 9-2 run from the Tigers (14-12, 5-9 ACC) to close the half left the Yellow Jackets with a 27-24 halftime lead. Tech dominated on the glass, leading 23-12 on the boards after the first 20 minutes.
Clemson carried momentum into the second half, extending its run to 25-6 through the 3:07 mark in the third quarter, gaining a 40-31 lead. Avyonce Carter and Swartz hit back-to-back buckets to cut the deficit to five, but Clemson answered with a triple before Nerea Hermosa converted a layup for a 43-27 score entering the final quarter. The Jackets quickly made it a two-possession game with jumpers from Swartz and Kara Dunn, setting up a 45-41 score, but Clemson pushed back out to a double-digit lead the remainder of the game.
Georgia Tech was held to six field goals in the second half and shot 23.1 percent from the floor. Clemson converted 54.2 percent of its attempts in the final 20 minutes and won the rebounding battle, 19-16, to take the half, 33-14. Amari Robinson scored 13 points in the second half after being limited to just two in the first two quarters.
Swartz was Tech’s only scorer in double-figures with 14 points, while Tonie Morgan led Tech on the glass with eight rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets return home on Sunday, Feb. 12 to welcome Pitt to McCamish Pavilion. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra in its annual Play4Kay Pink Game.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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