Clemson bruises short-handed Georgia Tech in road conference win

Jaeden Zackery scored a season-high 21 points (Clemson basketball graphic).

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Tuesday, January 14 2025

Clemson and Georgia Tech’s ACC clash extended late into the night, with the Tiger defense bruising the Yellow Jackets into an offensive nightmare.

The visiting Tigers extended their win streak to two, kicking off the road slate with a comfortable 70-59 win.

Georgia Tech looked to erase that sense of comfort, forcing a double-digit deficit to nine with 40 seconds to play. Ian Schieffelin intercepted an inbounds pass and knocked down free throws short after to ice the contest.

Damon Stoudamire’s squad entered Tuesday night short-handed, and Brad Brownell’s defense poured salt on the open wound.

Georgia Tech could not score a basket for the first seven minutes, starting out 0-10 from the field to open the first half.

The Yellow Jackets averaged 75 points per game entering the matchup but fell very short of their season average in the loss.

That struggle also included the inability to hold on to the ball, quickly becoming a problem for the home team. Georgia Tech coughed up the ball 14 times, leading to Clemson's 15 points off of those turnovers.

The Yellow Jackets’ offense was a slow burn all night, but on the other end, the Tigers found just enough to take care of business.

Jaeden Zackery was the leader of the clubhouse in Atlanta, dropping a season-high 21 points on Tuesday night, showcasing a consistent effort for Clemson’s backcourt. One of the ACC’s best on-ball guards added three steals as he was one of the focal points forcing the issue for Georgia Tech’s offense.

Where Clemson’s backcourt took the reins against the Seminoles, the Tiger frontcourt returned to form on the road.

Schieffelin, who was dealing with back spasms according to Brad Brownell, got back to his relentless ways inside the paint. Schieffelin added 16 points and seven rebounds, pressing the issue on an exhausted home unit.

Viktor Lakhin also added double figures, asserting himself inside with 10 points after dealing with foul trouble on Saturday afternoon. The Cincinnati transfer dealt with an illness for several weeks, but his aggression within the paint was a welcome sight for the Clemson offense.

Chase Hunter’s 14 points made it four Clemson starters who recorded double figures. Hunter has only recorded one game this season where he finished under ten points.

The Tigers outscored the Yellow Jackets (8-10, 2-5 ACC) 28-20 in the paint, winning the matchup inside from start to finish.

Brownell's group improved to 6-1 in the ACC and 14-4 overall after a NET metric Quad 3 win on the road.

Clemson will finish its two-game road trip on Saturday, facing Pittsburgh at noon on the CW Network.