Sometimes, it’s just not your day. That was the case for No. 7 Virginia Tech as poor shooting woes and the turnover bug bit the Hokies in their 64-59 loss to Clemson on Thursday night at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C.
The post-holiday hangover got to Tech (11-2, 1-2 ACC) from the tip. The defense allowed 26 points in the first quarter while the offense only put up 16 points on a 6-of-14 (42.9%) clip.
Tech jumped out an early eight-point lead but coughed that up at the 3:01 mark in the first quarter. The Tigers went on a 12-2 run to close out the first 10 minutes with a 26-16 lead.
From that point, Clemson’s offense (10-4, 1-1 ACC), which only scored 42 points in its lone regular season meeting with Virginia Tech last season, was shut down the rest of the way. In the second quarter, the Tigers scored 12; in the third, 11; and in the final period, they put up 15.
That should’ve been a formula for Tech’s success, despite its first quarter play. Except the Hokies struggled the rest of the way on offense. They only made 13 of their 37 baskets (35.1%) from the second quarter on and were just 12-of-20 (60%) from the free throw line.
Elizabeth Kitley, who made six of her eight free throws, only took seven shots (4-of-7 for 14 points) on Thursday. Cayla King, though, was hot from long range (5-of-11) and brought the Hokies to within one point at the 4:33-mark in the fourth quarter.
But that was the closest Tech came to catching Clemson as it turned the ball over twice in the last 45 seconds and lost possession of the basketball 15 more times throughout the night. It was the Hokies’ highest turnover rate of the season (26.2% on 65 possessions). The previous high was Tech’s season opener against Mount St. Mary’s, where the Hokies turned it over 19 times on 73 possessions (26.0%).
It’s rare for a group this talented to fall to a team like Clemson, who was projected to finish towards the bottom of the ACC, but the Hokies will have a chance to get back on track with a matchup against No. 13 North Carolina on Sunday. After that, a home meeting with a surging Virginia team looms. Both of those games will be in front of a Cassell Coliseum crowd.
Box score: Link