Clemson basketball drops close ACC game vs. Virginia despite 19 points from PJ Hall
CLEMSON – Clemson basketball nearly racked up two consecutive wins for the first time since Dec. 29 in its 66-65 loss to Virginia on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum.
After beating Louisville on Tuesday, Clemson (14-7, 4-6 ACC) hoped to start a streak by beating the Cavaliers, (17-5, 8-3), who haven't lost at Littlejohn since 2013. Saturday's game extended the Tigers' trend of alternating between wins and losses to seven games.
"It's like we win a game, we lose a game, we win a game, we lose a game," coach Brad Brownell said. "We can't win back-to-back games to really, kind of, get the momentum back on our side."
The Cavaliers led by eight at halftime with Virginia forward Jake Groves leading all scorers with 13 points, including a corner 3-pointer to close the half.
Virginia led by 12 points early in the second half, but the Tigers clawed back by knocking down key 3-pointers and free throws. Clemson tied the score at 54 in the last seven minutes after Joseph Girard III made his fourth 3-pointer.
Yet the Cavaliers built a five point lead that was too much for the Tigers to overcome. Clemson had a chance to tie or take the lead in the final seconds, but senior Jack Clark missed the game-winning 3-pointer.
Here are three takeaways from this thrilling ACC matchup:
A tale of two halves for PJ Hall
Hall bounced back from a tough first half after scoring only two points while shooting 1-for-6 from the field and 0-for-3 from 3-point range. Virginia disrupted Hall, playing suffocating defense and sending timely double teams.
But Hall responded in the second half, scoring 17 points -- including one 3-pointer and a season-high 10 free throws.
"PJ, we did the job in the first half, then he started playing with his physicality, and his experience, sort of, took over in some ways," Virginia coach Tony Bennett said.
Clemson makes progress on 3-point shooting struggles
Shooting 3-pointers at home has been a nightmare for the Tigers lately. The team shot 19.8% from 3-point range in their last four home games in January.
But in Clemson’s first game of the new month, the team made seven 3-pointes and shot 7-for-20 (35%) from deep. The Tigers shot 3-for-9 in the first half, two coming from Girard and one from Josh Beadle. In the second, Girard, Hall and Ian Schieffelin all made 3-pointers to help Clemson rally.
Still the team hopes to improve and be consistent from deep.
"We got so many guys that can shoot the ball, and it's just not falling," Hall said. "It's just one of those things that hurts, man. You just got to keep shooting the ball and know and trust your guy that we can shoot like that."
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Clemson’s bench scoring production is still MIA
Clemson’s bench scoring disappeared for a second straight game. The Tigers’ reserves scored five points Saturday, matching their total in Tuesday’s win over Louisville. The group seemed to find a groove after scoring 44 points combined against Florida State and Duke.
The Tigers’ bench scoring all came in the first half from Beadle. The redshirt sophomore scored a contested layup and made a shot-clock expiring corner 3-pointer. In comparison, Virginia’s bench scored 17 points in the first half and finished with 21.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson basketball falls to Virginia, misses chance at ACC momentum
