Tigers Topple Eagles 82-68 in ACC Season Finale
By Matt Sottile
Clemson (16-14, 6-12) finished their regular season with their biggest margin of victory in the ACC to date, with a 82-68 win against an undersized Boston College (9-22, 2-16) squad, who could not seem to avoid getting into foul trouble early on, eliminating any chance of limiting the Tigers’ clear size advantage.
On Senior Day, Clemson struggled early out of the gates, committing 5 turnovers in the first 8 minutes, and a total of 9 in the first half. Senior Jaron Blossomgame did not find his way onto the scoring sheet during the first 12 minutes of play. At that point, the Eagles trailed only 18-17, and had a strong defensive showing, especially during Clemson’s inbounding plays underneath their own basket. Blossomgame then took advantage of BC’s small four guard lineup that was on the floor for much of the later portion of the first half, and penetrated the lane with ease to finish with 17 points. His 17 points matched Clemson guard Avry Holmes’ total of 17, who was one of three leading scorers in the ballgame. Holmes gave Clemson all of the momentum heading into the locker room, extending their lead to 16, following three straight three point jumpers, two of which were assisted by Blossomgame.
BC was forced to go to their bench early on, after committing an absurd 16 first half fouls. The Eagles’ total of 24 fouls tripled that of the well-disciplined Clemson team, who committed only one team foul in the second half an impressive total of 8 in the entire game. After committing two early personal fouls, Mo Jeffers quickly found himself a seat on the bench and was replaced by freshman Johncarlos Reyes, who averaged just over 6 minutes and 1.3 points per game this season. The Clemson offense, which committed several early turnovers leading to Boston College baskets in transition, limited their sloppy play on the offensive end, and managed to overpower BC by means of their clear size advantage. In addition to dominating the Eagles down low, Clemson also controlled the glass and managed to outrebound BC 36-27. The points in the paint also opened up looks from downtown for players like Holmes, who tied his career high of 5 made three point field goals.
In the second half, the Eagles hung around and did not allow themselves to get blown out, thanks to the hot hand of sophomore guard Jordan Chatman, who came off the bench and led BC in scoring with 17 points. The guard duo of Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson struggled to find their rhythm, finishing with a combined 19 points, just over half their total average of 33.6 points per game. They connected for a crisp alley-oop late in the second half, with Bowman finding the other half North Carolina native and Eagles guard for a one hand slam, shortly before Jerome Robinson committed his fifth foul and was forced to exit the floor. Five other Boston College players finished with at least three personal fouls on the afternoon. The three point bucket that the Eagles have relied on so heavily this season, rarely found the bottom of the net. They connected on only three of their 13 first half attempts from downtown.
After a season in which Boston College managed to post two wins in ACC play and compete with many teams in conference play, their lack of finishers and underwhelming play late in the second half of ballgames led to 14 straight losses, which will force them to enter the ACC tournament at the bottom of the standings for the second straight season. As the #15 seed, they will take on the #10 seed, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who they will square off against on Tuesday at 2:00 pm in Brooklyn. Clemson, who finished the regular season as the #12 seed, will face the #13 seeded NC State Wolfpack in the tournament opener at 12:00 pm on Tuesday. Both games can be seen on ESPN2 and the ACC Digital Network.