Without star guard Chase Hunter for much of Saturday evening’s contest, Clemson (17-4, 9-1 ACC) took care of business at Virginia Tech (8-12, 3-6 ACC) by a 72-57 final.
In Hunter’s stead, the Tigers turned in a balanced offensive attack, featuring four players in double figures. Junior forward Chauncey Wiggins posted a 16-point, five-rebound effort to lead the team, while shooting a season-best 4-for-6 from deep. Head coach Brad Brownell was especially impressed with his efforts on the boards.
“[Rebounding] is something we’ve been talking to him about,” Brownell said. “He played more around the post today, so he was under the basket more. It was really important that he did a good job on the glass. He had one of his better games at Clemson, consistency-wise at both ends.”
Wiggins’ standout performance was complemented by the Tigers’ ability to adapt when illness sidelined star guard Chase Hunter.
“We’ve been battling some stomach bug stuff all week,” Brownell said. “We just found ways to be resilient [today]. I’m super proud of Chase Hunter, going in [for] the last ten minutes and really helping us ice the game. We talked about it before the game, he came to us and said ‘Coach, if you need me, if we get in foul trouble, if you think I could help, [I can play]…There’s a calming effect [on the rest of the team] when your best player is out there.”
Clemson took a 41-29 lead into the Cassell Coliseum locker room at halftime, shooting a blistering 60% from the field, and 45% from three (5-for-11).
Virginia Tech fought back midway through the second half, cutting the lead to just four at the 10:10 mark. The Tigers’ offense had stagnated, going scoreless for almost four minutes.
With the Blacksburg crowd urging on the Hokies, Clemson went on a 23-8 run over the next 7:35 of game time, putting the contest away.
“We played with pretty good poise,” Brownell said. “There’s no question that we were struggling to score there for a little while. Del Jones made some big-time plays down the stretch. I thought we were pretty solid defensively and kept them in front of us. We [rebounded] most of their first-shot misses, and just kind of grinded on offense and found ways to make a few baskets to pull away.”
Jones and transfer guard Jake Heidbreder were the recipients of more minutes due to Hunter’s illness, and both made the most of their opportunity. Jones racked up 13 points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists in 23 minutes. During the Tigers’ spurt that gave them a 15-point cushion with under four minutes to play, he scored eight straight points.
Heidbreder chipped in six points of his own on a pair of threes, and continued to be a reliable shooter off of the Tigers’ bench.
“[Del’s impact was] huge,” Brownell said. “The last two weeks, I think he’s practiced probably as well as he has. He’s played a little bit more consistently in games, he played well against Syracuse the other day this week…Certainly, he took advantage of his opportunity.”
Clemson stays on the road in ACC play when they travel to Raleigh, N.C. to take on the N.C. State Wolfpack on Saturday, February 1st. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on The CW. The Wolfpack will host the Tigers after taking on No. 2 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday night.
