No. 13 Tigers ride second-half surge to rare win at Virginia |
Brandon Rink
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- Saturday, March 01 2025
History suggested winning in Charlottesville wouldn’t be easy for the Clemson men’s basketball team on Saturday, and for a while, that proved to be true.
Overcoming a sluggish shooting start, the No. 13-ranked Tigers rode a 20-2 second-half surge to top Virginia (14-15, 7-11), 71-58. Clemson improved on its school-record conference win total (24-5, 16-2 ACC) and won its seventh consecutive ACC road game (an eighth total) and sixth game overall this season. How rare is the feat of a Clemson win in Charlottesville? The Tigers had won there just five times since 1990, and Brad Brownell became the first Tiger coach since Cliff Ellis to win there multiple times in a tenure (both did so twice now each). Brownell improved his personal record to 4-17 against the Cavaliers overall. Clemson’s first half was marred by lengthy scoring droughts. The first came around a 13-1 Virginia run and its largest lead of the session, at eight points. Chase Hunter helped a mini-Clemson comeback with his first points, becoming only the eighth Tiger to eclipse 1,700 career points with the bucket, but coming off of a recent calf injury, the sixth-year senior only scored four points in the first half. The second Tigers drought went into the half, where Clemson didn’t hit a field goal in the final five minutes and missed 10 shots in a row (and 11 of 12). The Tigers didn’t hit a 3-pointer and only attempted two from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. Despite the cold shooting, the deficit was only five points against a Cavaliers team riding some Senior Day momentum. Clemson’s second half didn’t start so hot either, stretching the run to 13 missed shots in a row, but Jaeden Zackery broke the slide with a layup, and Ian Schieffelin, celebrating his 22nd birthday Saturday, hit double-digits scoring with five quick points to cut into the deficit. Add back-to-back baskets from freshman Del Jones and another Schieffelin bucket en route to a first Clemson lead in 20+ minutes. A first Clemson 3-pointer via Zackery came with nearly eight minutes into the second half, and another Schieffelin hoop extended a 20-2 Tigers run to their biggest lead of the game yet, at eight points. Schieffelin notched a double-double, an 11th of the season, and reached 20+ points for the fifth time this season and the second time this week with 21 points and 13 rebounds Saturday. Schieffelin was joined in double-figures scoring by Viktor Lakhin (14 points/eight rebounds/five assists) and Zackery (12). Clemson extended its school-record total of 10+ point ACC wins to 14 games. Per Clemson, the win marked just the seventh time since 1996-97 that Clemson has won a game and made just one or fewer 3-pointers. It’s the first time Clemson has made just one 3-pointer and won since Nov. 24, 2002, against Wofford. The Tigers stay on the road at Boston College on Wednesday (7 p.m./ESPNU).
This Team 👏😆 pic.twitter.com/GAPaIPoESD
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) March 1, 2025
Vik ➡️ Ian
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) March 1, 2025
📺ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/MRT3zds5bF
.Just another insane basket from Del 😂@ClemsonMBB || 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/3f90bkoF7v
— Clemson Athletics (@ClemsonTigers) March 1, 2025
JZ FOR THREE3⃣
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) March 1, 2025
The Tigers are on an 18-2 run!
📺ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/655Mj6smDj
Ian Schieffelin passed Elden Campbell on Clemson career rebound list and Chase Hunter passed Horace Grant on the career scoring list in today's game.
— Tim Bourret (@TimBourret) March 1, 2025
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