Seniors Nick Davidson and Butta Johnson each scored 15 points as Clemson rallied for a 79-76 victory over visiting Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon in an Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season finale.
Carter Welling added 13 points as the Tigers (22-9, 12-6 ACC) rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final 16 minutes to complete a sweep of the Yellow Jackets.
Ace Buckner hit two free throws with 3.2 seconds left and scored all 10 of his points in the second half for Clemson, which rebounded after losing five of its previous six games.
As the No. 5 seed, the Tigers advance to the second round of the ACC tournament Wednesday night in Charlotte. They will play the winner of Tuesday’s opening-round game between 12th-seeded Virginia Tech (19-12, 8-10) and 13th-seeded Wake Forest (16-15, 7-11).
Jaeden Mustaf scored a career-high 28 points to lead Georgia Tech (11-20, 2-16), which completed the season with its 12th straight defeat. It is the Yellow Jackets’ longest losing streak since the 1980-81 season.
Kowacie Reeves Jr. tallied 20 points and Akai Fleming added 18 for Georgia Tech, which finished in last place in the conference. The ACC tournament excludes the league’s bottom three finishers.
Early in the second half, Mustaf scored on a driving scoop shot to give Georgia Tech its biggest lead of the game at 47-37.
But Clemson retaliated with an 11-point spree, which Welling triggered with a 3-pointer and a jump hook. Johnson followed with a 3-pointer from the corner 3 and a three-point play as the Tigers took their first lead since the opening minutes at 48-47.
It remained close until the final buzzer. Reeves gave the Yellow Jackets their final lead at 67-66 with a 3-pointer with 5:10 left.
Johnson made the final two field goals for the Tigers, hitting a baseline floater and following with a corner 3-pointer with 1:38 left.
Starting its five seniors for the first time this season, Clemson rolled to a 14-8 lead as Davidson hit a pair of 3-pointers.
But after the first media timeout, when coach Brad Brownell reverted to his usual rotation, the unit struggled, missing seven straight shots and committing three turnovers as Georgia Tech went on a 12-point burst.
By winning in his final home game, Dillon Hunter moved into a tie for the second-winningest player in Clemson history, playing in 93 victories. His brother Chase Hunter, who finished his career last season, leads the list with 110 wins.
– Field Level Media
