Clemson blew a nine-point lead with just over a minute and a half to play in regulation en route to a staggering 93-90 loss to Georgia Tech at Littlejohn Coliseum in double-overtime on Tuesday night.
The Tigers’ (12-5 overall, 2-4 conference) slide continued as the team fell for the fourth time in five games since the resumption of ACC play on Jan. 3.
Here’s what Clemson coach Brad Brownell had to say after the loss.
On his team’s 3-for-21 shooting from 3-point range:
“This is a kick in the gut. Both teams played extremely hard. Obviously we had a (lead) there at the end and couldn’t hold it. Some incredible shot-making by their guys late. We just had another day where we’re not making 3’s. I don’t know if it was fatigue or what-not, but when they make 15 and you only make three, that’s a 36-point difference. It’s hard to overcome that. This was hard. We’ve just got to hang in there and stick together. We’ve got a chance on Saturday to get a road win. Something we need.”
On Georgia Tech freshman Naithan George:
“He’s unbelievable. I said to our staff late in the first half that he thinks he’s the best player on the court, and he’s walking around like it.A couple of the shots he made at the end were amazing. He had the ball where he needed it and he was terrific. They have a very good, young team. Kowacie Reeves made some big shots for them. They didn’t miss a shot in the last two minutes of (regulation). They made like four or five 3’s. It’s disappointing. Our guys are hurting right now. I thought we did what we wanted to do for a long time and had a chance to get a win. We kind of let it slip away.”
On his team’s 22 offensive rebounds:
“I thought those were battles and I thought we had some advantages in there at times and really went at them. They were very aggressive. The sad part of that [the offensive rebounds] is there’s a lot of missed shots. We have to shoot a better percentage, and obviously we missed a couple of free throws that could have made the outcome a little different as well. A lot of times in basketball, it’s about timely shooting. Give Georgia Tech credit. They made some very timely shots tonight.”
UP NEXT: Clemson will travel to Tallahassee to face a streaking Florida State (10-3 overall, 4-1 conference) team that has won all four of its ACC contests since league play resumed earlier this month. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST Saturday. The game will be televised by ACC Network.