Cavaliers Take Out Tigers, 61-50 |
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Just when it appeared no one wanted to win Tuesday night's game in Charlottesville, the home team decided it might as well claim victory.
Virginia used a 18-7 spurt late in the second half to pull away from visiting Clemson, winning the battle of ACC bottom-feeders, 61-50 Derek Byars punctuated the run with a 25-foot 3-pointer that gave the Cavs (12-4, 2-3) a 53-45 lead with 3:00 to go. The shot effectively put an end to a game in which neither team shot better than 45 percent from the field, while combining for more than 40 turnovers. The shot also represented Byars' only points of the game. Meanwhile Clemson (8-8, 1-4) continued to struggle offensively. "I thought our defense was outstanding most of the night," said head coach Oliver Purnell. "But obviously our offense is just putting too much pressure on our defense." The Tigers shot just 33 percent (18-of-55) from the field, including a horrendous 2-of-18 (11 percent) from the 3-point arc. Clemson's perimeter players - Vernon Hamilton, Chey Christie, Olu Babalola, Lamar Rice and Shawan Robinson - combined to shoot just 9-of-39 from the field. J.R. Reynolds topped Virginia with 11, while Devin Smith and Donte Minter added 10 each. Chris Hobbs led Clemson with 13 points. The Tigers return to action at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, hosting Maryland at Littlejohn Coliseum. BOX SCORE CLEMSON (8-8): Babalola 2-10 3-4 7, Hobbs 6-9 1-2 13, Ford 2-5 3-4 7, Hamilton 1-7 2-2 4, Christie 2-9 0-1 5, Rice 1-5 0-0 2, Hudson 0-0 0-0 0, Robinson 3-10 1-2 8, Akingbala 1-2 2-6 4. Totals 18-57 12-21 50. VIRGINIA (12-4): Smith 4-10 1-2 10, Clark 0-1 0-2 0, Minter 3-4 4-4 10, Reynolds 4-5 0-1 11, Billet 1-4 6-7 9, Byars 1-3 0-1 2, Mapp 0-1 0-0 0, Bannister 2-4 1-2 5, Forbes 2-7 0-0 4, Cain 1-2 2-4 4, Brown 3-6 0-0 6. Totals 21-47 14-25 61. Halftime — Tied 20-20. 3-Point goals — Clemson 2-18 (Christie 1-3, Robinson 1-4, Hamilton 0-3, Babalola 0-4, Rice 0-4), Virginia 5-18 (Reynolds 3-4, Billet 1-2, Smith 1-6Mapp 0-1, Byars 0-2, Forbes 0-3). Fouled out — Ford, Clark, Smith. Rebounds — Clemson 41 (Ford 9), Virginia 31 (Forbes, Smith 7). Assists — Clemson 13 (Babalola 4), Virginia 11 (Billet, Reynolds 3). Total fouls — Clemson 21, Virginia 22. A — 7,129
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
