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CLEMSON -- Clemson overcame a 13-point deficit in the second half to beat Georgia Tech 68-65 Wednesday night in Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers (15-15, 7-12), which entered the game having won six of the last 10 in the series, moved to .500 on the season. A loss would have assured the Tigers of their first losing (regular) season in nine years.
Georgia Tech fell to 11-19 overall and 4-15 in ACC play, dead last in the league.
Five minutes in, Clemson moved out to a 12-6 lead with David Collins scoring three of those baskets. Collins was the only player on the floor to reach double figures in scoring in the first half, taking 13 points into intermission.
A Michael Devoe layup with 11 minutes to go in the first half pulled Georgia Tech even with the Tigers at 16. A minute later Tech notched its first lead of the game at 19-18 after a Miles Kelly three-pointer.
With four minutes to go before halftime, the Yellow Jackets enjoyed their largest lead of the first period at 29-22. From there the Tigers went on a 5-0 run, but baskets by Kelly and Jordan Usher would give Tech a 33-27 advantage at the break.
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Clemson scored the first three baskets of the second half. Hunter Tyson began the period with a jumper 28 seconds in. Tyson returned after sitting out a month due to a broken clavicle suffered against Florida State on February 2.
Tech quickly built a sizable lead in the period, surging to a 49-36 advantage with 13:53 to go after Kyle Sturdivant's three-point jumper.
The Tigers would claw their way back from there, seizing a narrow 56-55 lead with 5:12 left after an Al-Amir Dawes three-pointer. Dawes finished with eight points on just 3-of-10 shooting.
The two teams traded leads over the next five minutes with Tech enjoying its last advantage with 1:18 to go after a Dallan Coleman free throw. From there the Tigers would score five of the game's final six points by way of two huge layups from Collins and Naz Bohannon.
The Yellow Jackets shot 44.6-percent from the floor, 7-for-21 (33.3%) from three-point range. Three Yellow Jackets reached double figures, led by Devoe's 15 points.
The Tigers were 52.8% from the floor, just 6-for-21 (28.6%) from long range.
Collins led the Tigers with a game-high 19 points and was the only Tiger player to reach double figures in scoring. Collins also tied Devoe for a game-high seven rebounds.
Clemson head coach Brad Brownell moved to 18-8 all-time vs. Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets will host Boston College on Saturday, while the Tigers close out the regular season vs. Virginia Tech (19-11, 11-8) on Saturday in Littlejohn Coliseum. The game is set for a 2:00 p.m. tipoff.
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