Brad Brownell was concerned that after Clemson’s extended layoff, his team wouldn’t be as sharp.
Unfortunately for Clemson’s head coach, his concerns came true.
In Virginia’s 75-65 win over Clemson, the game was so close for the majority of the way, but yet another scoring drought doomed the Tigers down the stretch of Tuesday’s contest.
For 32 minutes, Clemson hung tough. Between 15 leads changes and a 1-point halftime lead, the Tigers were neck-and-neck with a very good Virginia team.
But a 1-point lead was never going to be enough to put away Tony Bennett’s squad. With the game tied at 57 with just under seven minutes, Clemson went cold.
The Tigers experienced yet another scoring drought and Virginia’s hold of the game became insurmountable. After shooting 56% from the field in the first frame of action, Clemson shot just 36% in the second half.
Clemson’s shooting woes were amplified by Virginia taking away the team’s leading scorer. P.J. Hall had 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting in the first half, but Clemson’s sophomore forward finished the game with just 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting.