Friday, March 13, 2009
Clemson upset by Georgia Tech
ATLANTA -- Lewis Clinch would have been the victim of a few more bad puns if Georgia Tech had been more successful over his four-year career.
He seized the opportunity to live up to his name Thursday, clinching an 86-81 victory over Clemson by scoring seven of his game-high 32 points in the final 4:02.
It was the second time in nine days that Clinch, a 6-foot-3 senior guard who has played in only 92 of a possible 121 Georgia Tech games during his four seasons, reached the 30-point mark.
Clinch was academically ineligible for the first semester this season, and he was suspended for the second semester of the 2006-07 for a violation of Georgia Tech rules.
"He's been a big time player for us for a long time," Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said. "If he's on the court consistently, this is what you see from him. He's in midseason form right now ... just getting cranked up."
Clinch is 32-for-65 on 3-pointers in the last five games, including 5-for-12 on Thursday.
Clemson, which trailed 75-62 following a Clinch 3-pointer with 4:02 left, twice got as close as four points and could have made it a two-point game if Trevor Booker had not missed two free throws with 28.9 seconds left.
Booker had team highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, who had six players score in double figures but lost for the eighth time in 15 games after a 16-0 start.
"Very disheartening," was the way coach Oliver Purnell described his team's performance.
Georgia Tech, which won three ACC games during the regular season and was seeded 12th this week, improved its record to 12-18. Hewitt didn't deny that the Yellow Jackets were helped by the venue, located minutes from their campus.
"It's a big positive because you don't have to travel," said Hewitt, whose Yellow Jackets play Florida State (23-8) at 2:30 today.
It helped that he had an inside-out combination of Clinch and 6-9, 233-pound sophomore Gani Lawal, who had five dunks in the second half alone and made his last eight shots after a 1-for-6 start.
"My hat's off to Georgia Tech," Purnell said. "They had nothing to lose and played like it. This is their season and I don't think we had the same edge they had."
GEORGIA TECH (12-18)
Lawal 9-14 2-4 20, Peacock 2-5 0-0 4, Clinch 11-20 5-5 32, Shumpert 4-5 3-4 11, Miller 2-5 0-0 5, Foreman 0-0 0-0 0, Storrs 1-3 0-0 2, Sheehan 0-0 0-0 0, Aminu 5-9 2-3 12. Totals 34-61 12-16 86.
CLEMSON (23-8)
Booker 8-15 1-4 17, Grant 1-2 0-0 2, Rivers 4-14 0-0 11, Stitt 3-5 5-7 11, Oglesby 4-11 0-1 11, Smith 4-6 0-0 10, Young 2-5 0-0 6, Sykes 4-5 3-5 11, Potter 0-2 0-0 0, Narcisse 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 31-66 9-17 81.
Halftime--Tied 39-39. 3-Point Goals--Georgia Tech 6-16 (Clinch 5-12, Miller 1-2, Storrs 0-1, Shumpert 0-1), Clemson 10-28 (Rivers 3-9, Oglesby 3-9, Young 2-3, Smith 2-4, Potter 0-1, Stitt 0-1, Booker 0-1) . Rebounds--Georgia Tech 38 (Lawal 14), Clemson 30 (Booker 9). Assists--Georgia Tech 18 (Miller 8), Clemson 16 (Stitt, Sykes 3). Total Fouls--Georgia Tech 17, Clemson 19. A--26,352.
