January 25, 2023

No. 24 Clemson Pulls Away From Tech, 72-51

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Clemson, S.C. – Deivon Smith notched his third double-double in points and rebounds Tuesday night, and Ja’von Franklin scored 12, but Georgia Tech endured another cold shooting night and lost to No. 24 Clemson, 72-51, at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The Yellow Jackets (8-12, 1-9 ACC) dropped their sixth consecutive game since a Jan. 4 win over No. 12 Miami, and lost for the third consecutive time at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers (17-4, 9-1 ACC) earned their third straight win in the series with Tech and remained atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.

Missing its first four shots from the floor while Clemson made its first three, Tech fell behind 12-0 at the outset and 23-10 by the 10:23 mark of the first half. The Yellow Jackets challenged, working the ball inside on several possessions and chipping away to close the gap to 25-22 at the 6:08 mark.

The Tigers reeled off the next eight points, however, and went to halftime leading 37-28. After the teams traded baskets to start the second half, Tech trailed by no fewer than 10 points the rest of the way.

The Jackets made only 34.4 percent of their shots from the floor, the third time in four games they hit less than 40 percent, and connected on just 4-of-23 from three-point range. Meanwhile, Clemson shot 50 percent or better in each half and finished at 52.9 from the floor, the third straight team to hit better than half its shots against the Jackets, and made 9-of-20 from three-point range.

Smith finished the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Franklin’s 12 points led the Jackets. P.J. Hall’s 17 points led four Tigers in double figures. Brevin Galloway, whose two threes set the tone in the Tigers’ opening salvo, finished with 14.

Tech returns home Saturday at 3 p.m. to host Duke at McCamish Pavilion for the only regular-season meeting between the two teams this season. The game will be televised live on the ACC Network.

Jalon Moore finished the game with eight points and six rebounds. (photo courtesy of Clemson athletics)

Post-Game Notes

TEAM TRENDS

Nine of Tech’s first 10 ACC games have come against opponents with winning or .500 conference records (combined record: 53-25). Notre Dame (1-9) is the exception.
With Lance Terry (hamstring) and Tristan Maxwell (hip pointer) both unavailable, Tech utilized just eight players for only the sixth time this season. Nine or more Yellow Jackets have taken the court in 14 of 20 games. Tech ranks No. 123 in the nation this season in bench minutes (33.0 pct. entering the game), and only one other Josh Pastner Tech team has seen its reserves play more.
Tech has averaged 24.4 three-point attempts in ACC games, trying at least 20 in every game except Virginia (16).
Tech has suffered its two poorest three-point shooting performances in its last three games (2-for-21 vs. NC State, 4-for-23 vs. Clemson).
Tech is 1-12 this season when the opponent makes a higher percentage of its field goal attempts, 7-0 when it has a better percentage.
Tech’s last three opponents (NC State, Syracuse, Clemson) have each shot better than 50 percent from the floor. Only two (Georgia, Virginia) did so in the Jackets’ first 17 games.
Tech is 6-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points (1-0 in the ACC), 2-11 when failing to reach 70. The Jackets’ 51 points at Clemson was a season low.
Tech has connected on less than 40 percent from the floor in three of its last four games (Pitt, NC State, Clemson).
Tech is 14-for-32 from the foul line in its last four games after hitting 75.6 percent from the stripe in its first six ACC games.
Tech has assisted on 56.8 percent of their field goals in ACC games, fourth-best in the ACC.
After a four-game stretch in which it averaged 17 turnovers, Tech has averaged less than 12 in its last four games.

PLAYER UPDATES

Deivon Smith has three double-doubles in points and rebounds, all in Tech’s last five games (Notre Dame, Pitt and Clemson). The smallest player on the floor for Tech, he leads the Jackets in rebound average at 5.9 per game.
Ja’von Franklin (team-high 12 points) scored in double digits for the first time since Notre Dame (12 points) on Jan. 10. Franklin leads the Jackets in field goal percentage in ACC games (59.1 pct.).
Senior guard Kyle Sturdivant has played in 99 games over four seasons in his career, most among the Yellow Jackets. Senior center Rodney Howard is the next closest at 89. Tech’s other two seniors, Ja’von Franklin and Lance Terry, have played in just 79 and 73 games, respectively.