CLEMSON 69, GEORGIA TECH 65 (OT)
Down to fumes, Georgia Tech couldn’t hang on.
Playing their second game in 26 hours, the Yellow Jackets gave up a nine-point lead with 7:51 to play in regulation and lost 69-65 in overtime to Clemson in the second round of the ACC tournament in a late-night matchup Thursday. It was the second overtime game in as many nights for the Jackets, who beat Boston College 73-70 Wednesday night.
In a meeting of the Nos. 6 (Clemson) and 11 (Tech) seeds, Tech had the better of Clemson for most of the game, controlling the glass and getting a big contribution from forward Kammeon Holsey for the second night in a row.
They rallied from a four-point deficit in the final minute to send the game to overtime with a clutch fallaway jumper by center Daniel Miller with .8 seconds remaining. But the Jackets couldn’t finish the deal in overtime, surrendering the lead with 44 seconds to go on a transition basket. Tech had a final possession, calling timeout with 35.2 seconds left and 27 seconds on the shot clock.
However, the Jackets lost the ball when guard Corey Heyward was called for an offensive foul when he knocked down Damarcus Harrison as he handed the ball off to Trae Golden with 26.9 seconds left. Down 63-62, Tech was required to foul and sent Harrison to the line for two free throws. He made both for a 65-62 lead. A missed drive by Golden was followed by another foul and free throws for Landry Nnoko, who put the game away with 17.0 seconds left.
Tech was left with a cruel what-if – up 60-58 with 2:26 to go, Miller missed a wide-open dunk that would have put the Jackets ahead by four points.
Tech (16-17) fell to Clemson for a difficult-to-explain 10th consecutive time, its longest active losing streak to any opponent. The Jackets had gained the second round by surviving No. 14 seed Boston College in overtime.
Clemson (20-11) continued its bid to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2010-11 season, coach Brad Brownell’s first season. The Tigers need to keep winning. They were 10-8 in the ACC but began the week ranked No. 77 in RPI, likely too high to be an at-large bid. Clemson will play No. 3 seed Duke in a Friday night quarterfinal.
It is possible that Tech could play in the College Basketball Invitational, a tournament started in 2008 that has largely been the province of mid-major teams left out of the NIT. Senior associate athletic director Ryan Bamford said prior to the game that he had not discussed the option yet with coach Brian Gregory. Last year, two major-conference teams, Texas and Purdue, played in it with sub-.500 records.
If coach Brian Gregory’s third season did end Thursday night, its unsatisfying conclusion mirrored much of the season. Tech was shackled by significant injuries and often compounded that challenge with an inability to play with focus for 40 minutes. The Jackets did finish the regular season strong, with back-to-back wins over then-No. 7 Syracuse on the road and Virginia Tech, and followed it up with their first ACC tournament win since 2010.
About the Author
Ken Sugiura is a sports columnist at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Formerly the Georgia Tech beat reporter, Sugiura started at the AJC in 1998 and has covered a variety of beats, mostly within sports.
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