Resume Boost

CLEMSON — Jerai Grant remained on the floor for a moment Tuesday night following a hard, intentional foul by Georgia Tech's powerful Gani Lawal.

Such play was commonplace during Clemson's 91-80 win against Georgia Tech, a game possessing a tournament feel inside Littlejohn Coliseum. Both teams entered in need of a win to enhance their NCAA Tournament resumes and to remain in the mix for one of the final two ACC Tournament byes.

Layups were to be prevented.

Grant eventually rose to shoot a pair of free throws, and the Tigers have also risen as a collective group. Clemson has won five of its last six games, surging from below .500 in the ACC at the end of January to almost assuredly in the NCAA Tournament.

'If we don't get into the NCAA Tournament now, I'm seceding from the NCAA,' Oliver Purnell said.

The Tigers secured their third straight winning season in ACC play (21-8, 9-6 ACC) — a program first. And Clemson now enjoys a half-game lead on Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Florida State for one of the final two first-round byes in the ACC Tournament. Clemson can finish no lower than sixth.

To get to that position, Clemson's coach said the Tigers endured one of their toughest physical tests of the year.

'Tech was flat ready to play and we needed to be ready at the beginning,' Purnell said. 'And we were.'

The night also marked one of Clemson's best offensive performances in an ACC game this season.

For the second consecutive game, Clemson point guard Andre Young connected on a long-distance 3 at the first-half buzzer, breaking a tie to give Clemson a 44-41 lead at half. Purnell likened the shot and offensive effort to 're-watching a good movie.'

Young ran off the court holding his right index finger in the air to close the half, and Clemson emerged from the locker room possessing a similar swagger.

'We have a sense of energy,' Young said. 'Halfway through ACC play we realized we had a chance to be a great team.'

Clemson made 12 of 27 3s (44 percent) and shot 55 percent from the field — a far cry from their mid-January offensive freeze.

Purnell's only quibble was Clemson missed 17 of 32 free throws, its first poor free-throw performance of the last five games.

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Demontez Stitt hit three 3s in the first 10 minutes of the second half as Clemson built a 66-48 lead with 14:37 to play, compelling the Yellow Jackets (19-10, 7-8) to call timeout. Before his team arrived to huddle around him, Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt looked blankly up at the ceiling as if searching for an answer. It is in those rafters where Trevor Booker's No. 35 will surely hang one day.

On senior night, Booker had to work for every opportunity in the paint against what he called the 'most physical' front line in the ACC. But he finished with a game-best 21 points and capped the night with a signature put-back dunk — his final shot in Littlejohn — a shot followed by chants of 'Trev-or … Book-er.'

'It was a nice way to go out,' Booker said. 'It gave me chills.'

Note

Clemson's Tanner Smith rolled an ankle in the first half in transition and was lost for the remainder of the game. Smith emerged from the halftime locker room with crutches. Purnell did not have a post-game injury update.