A meek second half sent Georgia Tech to defeat Thursday night at Clemson. The Yellow Jackets failed to score in the final eight-plus minutes against the Tigers and lost 57-41.
Coach Nell Fortner’s team trailed 45-41 after guard Kara Dunn scored on a layup at the 8:16 mark of the fourth quarter but was unable to score for the remainder of the game. Over that span, the Jackets missed 10 shots, turned the ball over three times and did not attempt any free throws. Clemson broke a nine-game losing streak in its series with Tech, including an 85-74 win for the Jackets Jan. 26 at McCamish Pavilion.
Tech (12-12, 3-10 ACC) was outscored 33-14 in the second half by Clemson, which shot 48.0% from the field for its season high in ACC play. The Jackets had led by as many as 10 points in the first half before scoring its season low for points in a half. The 41 points was highly aberrant output. The Jackets came into the game averaging 61.6 points per game and hit their season scoring high against Clemson in the teams’ first meeting. The Jackets last scored fewer than 41 points in a game n the 2016-17 season.
Clemson (14-12, 5-9) limited Tech freshman guard Tonie Morgan, who had scored in double figures in six consecutive games, to two points on 1-for-6 shooting as the Jackets shot 16-for-54 (29.6%) from the field. Guard Cameron Swartz was Tech’s lone scorer in double figures with 14 points.
Tech plays its next game Sunday at 2 p.m. at home against Pitt.
