The 11th-ranked Clemson Tigers (25-5, 17-2 ACC) extended their win streak to seven straight games on Wednesday night, with a 78-69 win against the Boston College Eagles (12-18, 4-15 ACC) at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Senior guard Jaeden Zackery, who transferred to the Tigers from Boston College, starred in the win, scoring a team-high 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Clemson jumped out to a 49-39 lead at halftime on the strength of 59% shooting from the field, turning the ball over only twice. In the second half, though, things changed.
“I thought we played well early,” head coach Brad Brownell said. “I think there was four or five minutes to go [in the first half] and we’re up 15… I was a little nervous, because it’s almost like it just felt too easy for our guys. We were making shots, we got the ball to good places, but then basketball changes quickly. Those guys on their team played with great effort and had a couple hustle plays, we had a couple mistakes, and then all of a sudden the momentum in the last four to five minutes of the half shifted. We didn’t start the half well, and all of a sudden it’s a six, seven point game and all the momentum is with them. If you’re not careful, you’re playing not to lose.”
Boston College whittled away at the Tiger lead, coming within just three points of Clemson at the 5:32 mark (72-69). The main culprit for the success BC found after halftime was turnovers. CU handed the Eagles 11 extra possessions, compared to just 2 in the first half. Although just 9 points were scored off of those Clemson mistakes, it short-circuited the Tigers’ offense, not even allowing them to get a shot up on multiple possessions.
“We played very poorly on offense in the second half,” Brownell added. “We had a bunch of careless turnovers. I know of three or four times where we were coming down in transition and would literally turn the ball over in advantage situations. You do that a couple times, and then give them a couple of run outs, we gave them two run outs back-to-back for five points, you’re going to find yourself in a one-possession game.”
In the end, though, Brownell’s team finished strong. A sharp 7-0 run closed the game out, running the Tigers’ road win streak to eight straight games. Boston College missed 11 of their final 12 attempts from the field, often settling for contested three-point and mid-range shots. Despite the Clemson offense sputtering in the middle portions of the half, the team’s defense was able to make up for it late, holding a nothing-to-lose Eagles team to one shot, and protecting the paint in the process.
To compliment Zackery’s high-scoring night, three other Tigers scored in double figures. Lead guard Chase Hunter notched 18 points while making a pair of threes, senior Ian Schieffelin put up 13 points and 8 rebounds, and fellow stretch big Viktor Lakhin contributed a double-double of his own (11 points and 13 rebounds).
Clemson will turn their attention to a Senior Day matchup on Saturday where they take on the Virginia Tech Hokies (13-17, 8-11 ACC) at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Hokies look to shake off a 32-point home loss to NCAA Tournament-hopeful North Carolina, while the Tigers aim to improve their seeding for the impending ACC and NCAA tournaments. ESPNU will televise the game, which will tip off at 6:00 p.m.
