In what Clemson defines as GRIT after dark, the Tigers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets might as well have hit snooze for the first half of this 9:00 PM tipoff.
Both teams were groggy early on, but Clemson (14-4, 6-1 ACC) finally shook off the cobwebs to secure a 70-59 victory Tuesday night at the McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.
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Jaeden Zackery was the spark plug for the Tigers, leading the team with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting. He also grabbed six rebounds and three steals, putting relentless pressure on Georgia Tech’s guards all night.
His defensive tenacity wore down a thin Yellow Jackets (8-10, 2-5 ACC) rotation, which saw only seven players hit the court—and just six for the majority of the game.
Ian Schieffelin sealed the game with a dagger three-pointer to end a late 9-0 Georgia Tech run.
Schieffelin stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals, bouncing back in a big way after a two-point outing against Florida State.
While the Tigers had a game-high 19-point lead with 8:27 left, they let Georgia Tech crawl back into it, allowing the Yellow Jackets to cut the lead to single digits late. Clemson’s defense, however, held firm, and Schieffelin’s timely shot put the game out of reach.
Clemson’s offensive balance was key, with four players scoring in double figures.
Chase Hunter contributed 14 points, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line despite a rough 3-for-9 shooting night from the field.
Viktor Lakhin added 10 points and six rebounds, though he struggled from beyond the arc, missing all four of his attempts.
Clemson’s bench managed just two points in 34 minutes, a rare off night.
Both teams came out ice cold. Georgia Tech missed its first six three-point attempts and started 1-for-12 from the field, managing only two points in the game’s first nine minutes.
Clemson didn’t fare much better early, missing its first six threes and shooting just 4-for-14 to start. Despite the sluggish opening, the Tigers managed an 8-2 lead by the under-12 media timeout.
By the final buzzer, Clemson had improved its shooting numbers, finishing 23-for-52 from the field (44.2%), 8-for-23 from deep (34.8%), and 16-of-20 from the free throw line (80%).
Georgia Tech ended the night shooting 35.2% from the field and 35% from three, going 19-for-54 and 7-for-20, respectively.
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The win moved Brad Brownell to 22-9 all-time against the Yellow Jackets.
While it wasn’t the prettiest win, in the grind of ACC basketball, style points don’t matter. The Tigers made the plays when it counted, now looking ahead to their next challenge.
And it’s a big one.
Clemson sits tied with Louisville for second in the ACC standings, with a crucial road test ahead against the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Pitt, coming off its second ACC loss of the season—against Louisville, the team that handed the Tigers their lone conference defeat—will be eager to bounce back.
With the race to catch Duke intensifying, this game is key for the future of both teams.
Tipoff is scheduled for 12:00 PM on January 18 at the Petersen Events Center, with the game set to air on the CW Network.
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