Tigers Edged Out by Yellow Jackets on Senior NightCLEMSON, S.C. — Coming up short in a nail biter at Littlejohn Coliseum, the Clemson University men’s basketball team closed out its regular season with a close loss to Georgia Tech. Playing on his Senior Night, Tevin Mack showed out for the Tigers on Friday, but the Yellow Jackets won 65-62.
Clemson (15-15, 9-11) knocked down 35.0 percent of its shots, and Georgia Tech (17-14, 11-9) finished with a shooting percentage of 42.9. Both teams sank six 3-pointers and tallied 24 points in the paint on the evening. At the foul line, the Tigers went 14-for-18, and the Yellow Jackets went 23-for-28. Defensively, Clemson forced 19 turnovers, which led to 25 Clemson points. The Tigers recorded 30 rebounds, 11 steals and 10 assists.Mack led Clemson with 19 points, going 6-for-18 from the field and making 4-of-6 free throws. Aamir Simms compiled 12 points and eight rebounds in his 21st double-digit scoring output of the season, and Curran Scott registered 11 points and four boards.
The Tigers went on several runs over the course of the game, including a 9-0 run in the first half that saw Clemson go up 17-12. Mack made 3-balls on back-to-back possessions to put the Tigers up by five at the 11:17 mark. Georgia Tech responded with a 10-0 run that culminated in the Yellow Jackets taking a 5-point lead later in the half. Georgia Tech went on to lead 39-28 at halftime.Mack and Scott braced the Tigers with nine points apiece in the first half, and Clemson came out firing to start the second half, connecting on treys on its first two possessions. Also in the second half, Simms cut Clemson’s deficit down to one by going on a 7-0 run by himself. The Tigers converted several turnovers into points in the second half, going up by nine with 5:15 remaining. However, the Yellow Jackets fought back and eventually closed out the game on a 6-0 run. Mack shot a potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it clanged off the iron, resulting in Georgia Tech securing the 65-62 victory.
Next up for the Tigers is the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., which will take place March 10-14 at Greensboro Coliseum.
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