Tigers knock off No. 22 Virginia, 60-48 |
CLEMSON – Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said
Devin Booker
Booker was more like ‘the man’ as he scored 10 second half points and added three huge offensive rebounds as the Tigers took control with an 18-9 run over the final eight minutes in upsetting No. 22 Virginia 60-48 at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Andre Young Booker was 0-for-1 with no rebounds during the first half, a back-and-forth affair that saw the teams tied at 24 at intermission. Booker scored all 10 of his points and added four rebounds after the break while also contributing two blocks and two steals. The Tigers forced 18 Virginia turnovers – including 14 steals – but it wasn’t until Booker asserted himself in the final stanza that the Tigers were able to pull away, and he said he “demanded” the ball in the second half. “The first half, I only took a couple of shots,” Booker said after the game. “In the second half, I just demanded the ball inside. I was playing team ball early on, but in the second half I got my chances and put the ball in the hole.” Bennett had his own take on Booker’s play. “He took advantage of us getting worn down as the game went on,” Bennett said. “He ducked in hard on the inside and his physicality showed. He played like a man out there.” Brownell said he challenged his team at the break. “It was a great team win tonight. I thought our guys really competed,” he said. “Virginia is so fundamentally sound and in good position, so your effort has to be supreme. I challenged our guys at halftime that we couldn’t let this opportunity get away from us. We were in position to beat this team tonight, and we needed to take advantage of it. I thought our guys came out very spirited and played very well.” The Cavaliers got a three-point play from Jontel Evans that cut the Clemson lead to 44-41 with 7:56 remaining in the contest, but that was when the Tigers used their depth to put the game away. Tanner Smith hit a basket to start the run, and then Booker hit two baskets that made it 52-41 with just under three minutes remaining. Barely a minute later, the Cavs’ Mike Scott drilled a 3-pointer that made it 54-46 with two minutes left on the clock. With just under a minute remaining, Evans drove the lane and hit a layup that made it 56-48, but Hall broke long as soon as Evans drove to the hoop and Young hit him in stride for a dunk that brought the Littlejohn crowd to its feet. Eleven seconds later Hall had a steal and a layup that sealed the much-needed win. “I thought the key was our second half defense,” Brownell said. “There were some opportunities for them to make a little run. There were some shots they missed. But by and large, we didn’t give them very many easy baskets. They had to go earn them.” 
Devin Booker
Jr. Forward
#31 6-8, 245
Whitmire, SC
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was “a man” during Tuesday’s second half.
Andre Young
Sr. Guard
#11 5-9, 175
Albany, GA
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and
Tanner Smith
Tanner Smith
Sr. Guard
#5 6-5, 210
Alpharetta, GA
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scored 13 points each for the Tigers (13-12, 5-6 ACC), who held the Cavaliers (19-6, 6-5) to their lowest point total of the season.
VISITORS: Virginia 19-6, 6-5 ACC
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