Feb. 24, 2018
Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
Clemson, S.C. – Georgia Tech went cold over the final 10 minutes and watched an 11-point lead evaporate on the way to a 75-67 loss to No. 15 Clemson Saturday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum. Josh Okogie, who missed a big chunk of that time after collecting his fourth foul, finished with a team-high 22 points.
Gabe DeVoe scored 25 points and Shelton Mitchell added 14 as he returned from two games missed with a concussion, and Tigers (21-7, 10-6 Atlantic Coast) ended the game on a 29-14 run after Okogie picked up his fourth foul for the Yellow Jackets (11-18, 4-12) with 11:44 to go.
Tech missed 11 of its last 12 shots and turned the ball over four times in the final seven minutes to lose their seventh straight game and 11th of 12. The Tigers ended a three-game losing streak, two of them while Mitchell was recovering from a concussion suffered in the final minute at Florida State on Feb. 14.
The Yellow Jackets took a 49-38 lead on a 3-pointer by Evan Cole with 15:35 left in the game, but foul trouble started creeping up on Georgia Tech, and coach Josh Pastner had to juggle three of his starters with four fouls in the final five minutes. Cole and fellow freshman Moses Wright both fouled out.
DeVoe’s 3-pointer with 48 seconds to go closed out an 11-0 run that turned a 61-58 deficit into a 69-61 lead for Clemson. DeVoe’s 25 matched his career high he set on Jan. 28 in a 72-70 win at Georgia Tech.
Clemson led by as much as 10 early in the first half, but Georgia Tech rallied and led by four at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Clemson: The Tigers are trying to hang onto something rare for them – a bye into the ACC quarterfinals by finishing in the top four in the standings. With the win, Clemson is guaranteed to be at least tied for fourth place with two games to go. In the 12 seasons since the ACC expanded beyond nine teams, Clemson has started the tournament in the quarterfinals just twice, in 2008 and 2011.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets are locked in to play the first day of the ACC tournament, meaning they will need to win five games in five days. Also, without a miraculous season-ending tournament run, the Yellow Jackets will have their eighth losing record in the past 13 seasons.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets host North Carolina State on Thursday.
Clemson: The Tigers host Florida State on Wednesday.
