Clemson rallies from 13 down to stun Georgia Tech

CLEMSON — Brad Brownell has praised the effort and never-quit attitude of his team throughout what has been a difficult 2021-22 season.

Wednesday night that refusal to quit paid off with an impressive come-from-behind win.

Clemson battled back from a 13-point second-half deficit to stun Georgia Tech 68-65 at Littlejohn Coliseum and earn its third straight victory.

Naz Bohannon was the hero late, getting an and-one with 14 seconds remaining to break a 65-all tie and lift the Tigers to a win.

“It was a fun last six or seven minutes, I know that,” Tigers coach Brad Brownell said. “Most of the rest was hard, but give our kids a lot of credit. We just kept playing. … We just kind of kept hanging in there and had a bunch of guys contribute to a very hard-fought win.”

Clemson had lost six straight games prior to its three-game winning streak. All three wins have come without leading scorer PJ Hall, who is sidelined with a left foot injury.

While Bohannon made big plays late, it was fellow transfer addition David Collins who led the way for the Tigers throughout most of the game.

Collins finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while playing a team-high 37 minutes. He was the only Tigers player to score in double figures.

Clemson won despite only connecting on 6 of 21 3-point attempts.

“We didn’t make 3s tonight very well but we got the ball in the middle and did some things in the middle of the zone that was good,” Brownell said. “Obviously Naz made some great plays at the end of the game. That was a huge key. I thought David was excellent. … We kind of just kept hanging in there.”

While Hall missed his third straight game, Clemson did get a boost with the return of Hunter Tyson.

The senior leader came off the bench and played 18 minutes in his first action since early February, scoring 8 points, with 2 rebounds.

“He did pretty well. I don’t know that he would’ve been ready to play 30 minutes. I pulled him out one time and he was gassed,” Brownell said. “I was glad that Hunter could play this week so that he has hopefully a little more confidence and is a little more comfortable for the [ACC] tournament.”

Prior to next week’s ACC tournament, Clemson hosts Virginia Tech on Senior Day this Saturday. Brownell is unsure if Hall will be able to play but either way the Tigers have momentum after earning their third straight win.

However, upsetting Virginia Tech won’t be easy. The Hokies enter having won nine of their last 10 games.

“They’re playing their best basketball right now. They’re playing with a ton of confidence,” Brownell said. “Just a very experienced group. … It’ll be a real challenge for us.”