No. 12 Clemson rallies to beat Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va. — K.C. Rivers hit seven 3-pointers and scored 29 points Thursday night and No. 12 Clemson rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to beat Virginia Tech 86-82.

The Tigers (18-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) used an 18-0 run to get back in the game and then outscored the Hokies 8-2 over the final 2:08.

Malcolm Delaney had a career-high 37 points for Virginia Tech (14-6, 4-2).

David Potter of Clemson got open for a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 1:24 remaining and then Rivers came off a screen and hit a long 2-pointer with 48 seconds left. The Hokies never scored again.

Trevor Booker added 21 points and 13 rebounds for Clemson.

Jeff Allen had 13 points and nine rebounds and A.D. Vassallo scored 10 points, eight below his average, for Virginia Tech, which lost despite shooting 51.7 percent.

Delaney was 11-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-9 on 3s, but Rivers finished 10-for-17 overall and 7-for-10 from behind the arc.

Trailing by six points with 7½ minutes left, the Hokies took the lead with a 13-4 run. Delaney had seven points in the burst, including a 3-pointer from the top of the key to end it and give Virginia Tech a 79-76 lead with 3:24 to play. It was his sixth 3-pointer.

That put the onus back on Rivers and the Tigers, and they answered.

Booker had a putback and Potter scored on a drive around a free throw by Allen. Potter added his 3-pointer before Rivers followed Dorenzo Hudson’s layup with his shot from the top of the key with 48 seconds left that gave the Tigers an 85-82 lead.

The Hokies scored eight of the first 10 points after halftime to open a 61-46 lead, but starting with a free throw by Potter, Clemson scored 18 consecutive points. Rivers had seven, Demontez Stitt hit two 3-pointers and the Tigers led 66-63 with 10:18 to play.

Two more 3-pointers by Rivers boosted the lead to 72-66.

Delaney had 22 points in the first half, including a 60-footer that swished at the buzzer, as Tech took a 53-44 lead.