Virginia Tech handed Clemson its third straight loss on Wednesday, as the Hokies knocked off the No. 21 Tigers 87-72 to remain unbeaten at home.
Once again, perimeter defense was an issue at times, as Virginia Tech shot 64% from beyond the arc in the first half. Sean Pedulla led all scorers with a career-high 32 points for the Hokies, hitting 6-of-9 from behind the 3-point line. He also dished out seven assists.
Tyler Nickel came off the bench and scored 24, going 5-of-7 from deep, helping give the Hokies a 39-13 advantage in bench points.
"I really don't know why our team struggled so much defensively in the first half," head coach Brad Brownell said. "We looked like we were behind. I mean, we talked about switching a couple of things. We didn't switch. And I thought we were beat up from the gate last game."
"Monday, we tried to regroup. I thought we were getting there. I thought we were fine by today but clearly, we were not ready."
Clemson started the game on a 6-3 run, but Virginia Tech came back with a 15-3 run of their own to take a 17-9 lead, and they would never trail again. The Tigers would get as close as four points on multiple occasions in the second half, but never could completely close the gap, despite having more than one opportunity.
Ian Schieffelin led the way for Clemson with 15 points, and also had a team-high 8 rebounds, with four of those coming on the offensive end. Chauncey Wiggins added 12, on 5-of-6 shooting. PJ Hall pitched in with 11 points, shooting 3-of-7 from 3-point land.
Joe Girard scored 12, but had another rough night from the floor, going just 3-of-10 and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. Five of his points came from the free-throw line.
"I just thought they played with great pace, great intensity and when you make shots like they made early, that just that just energizes you at home," Brownell said. "So now, we're basically playing uphill the whole game."
The loss drops Clemson to 11-4 overall and 1-3 in ACC play. Virginia Tech moves to 10-5 and 2-2 in the league.
The Tigers will return home this weekend, as Clemson hosts Boston College on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 3pm.
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