Clemson falls to Virginia in ACC semifinals

Clemson forward Ian Schieffelin (4), forward Hunter Tyson and guard Brevin Galloway (11) come off the court during the Tigers' 76-56 loss to Virginia in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Greensboro, North Carolina.

 Max Knipstein // Clemson Athletics

The Clemson men’s basketball team couldn’t hit its stride on Friday night, falling to Virginia 76-56 in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina.

After bringing the game within four points with 4:01 left in the first half, Clemson allowed Virginia to go on a 21-2 run over the next 10 minutes, ultimately making a comeback insurmountable for the Tigers.

Coming off a dominant offensive showing against N.C. State on Thursday, it was an offensive struggle for the Tigers throughout the entire game against Virginia, as they shot 35.8% from the field.

Defensively, Clemson allowed the Cavaliers to make 50.0% of their shot attempts. Jayden Gardner was the star of the game, as the Virginia forward scored a game-high 23 points on 10 of 15 shooting.

As for the Tigers’ scoring, Hunter Tyson led the team with 15 points and made five of his nine shots. Meanwhile, PJ Hall had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

“Congratulations to Virginia. They played really well tonight,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. “They obviously were clearly better than we were. We thought at times we were a little step slow, and some of it is stylistically playing them.

"They’re probably the hardest team in the league to play against in terms of what it takes, consistency of effort and discipline. Their offensive movement is very good and taxing on you, and if you’re just a little fatigued and wear down a little bit, you’re going to get burned.”

Virginia did an excellent job defending the Tigers’ guards, as Chase Hunter and Brevin Galloway combined for just 17 points on 6 of 23 shooting from the field. 

Clemson will now wait for Selection Sunday to hear if it will have a shot in the NCAA Tournament.

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