CLEMSON — Three times Chase Hunter had an opportunity to win the game for Clemson Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. All three times he came up empty.

The last opportunity came in the third overtime, as he tried to drive the lane with 10 seconds to play and the Tigers down a point to Georgia Tech. Instead he lost the ball in a crowd with three seconds left and turned the ball over to Tech.

The Yellow Jackets’ Baye Ndongo made two clutch free throws after the Hunter turnover, handing Clemson a 89-86 loss. Hunter had one more opportunity to tie the game, but his three-pointer from the right side was off the mark as time expired.

Hunter finished the night with 28 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead the Tigers.

Tuesday’s game marked just the third time in Clemson history a game went to triple overtime. The Tigers have lost all three.

Naithan George led the Yellow Jackets (11-12, 5-7 ACC) with 28 points. Duncan Powell added 19 points, while Ndongo had18 points and 13 rebounds.

Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers, while Chauncey Wiggins added 15 points.

Hunter drilled an elbow jumper with 32.3 seconds to play to put the Tigers up 77-75 in the second overtime. Tech then tied it again at 77, as George dished the ball off to Ndongo with 15.1 seconds to go for the game-tying-layup.

Hunter then had another opportunity to win the game in the second overtime, but his shot in the last seconds fell off the back iron, sending the game into overtime for a third time.

Powell started all the overtime mess, when he followed his own miss on a 3-point shot and put the ball back in the hoop as time expired at the end of regulation. His basket tied the game at 64.

Both teams had multiple opportunities to win the game in the first overtime. In the final two minutes, Hunter had an elbow jumper go in and out. He then missed a layup with 45 seconds to play and his 3-pointer from the top of the key bounced off the back of the rim as time expired in the extra period.

Clemson and Georgia Tech spent the first half trading runs, starting with an 11-2 stretch from the Tigers after falling behind 8-3 to start the game. Georgia Tech retaliated with a 7-0 run of its own.

Streak is over

Clemson’s six-game win streak came to an end Tuesday night. The Tigers were hoping to get a seventh straight ACC win, which would have tied an all-time mark with the 1966-’67 and 2022-’23 teams.

The Tigers were also hoping to improve to 11-1 in ACC play for the first time in school history. Of course, that did not happen either.

Bad night to be off the mark

Clemson made just 36 percent of its shots, despite making 12 three-pointers. The Tigers were 28 of 77 overall and 12 of 37 from behind the arc. Hunter was 9 of 24 overall and 4 of 12 from downtown.

Second chance points

With Victor Lakhin in foul trouble all night, Tech dominated Clemson on the boards, especially on the offensive glass. The Yellow Jackets snagged 24 offensive rebounds to Clemson’s 16 and had a 29-13 advantage in second chance points.

Tech had a 56-46 advantage overall in rebounds.

Clemson hates overtime

Besides being 0-3 all-time in triple overtime games, the Tigers lost their third game this season when going into extra sessions. Earlier this year, Clemson lost to Memphis and South Carolina in back-to-back overtime games.

The Tigers also beat Pittsburgh on Jan. 18 in overtime and are 1-3 this season when a game goes into extra periods.

First time this year

For the first time this season, Clemson (18-5, 10-2 ACC) lost a game when Wiggins scored in double digits. The Tigers had won their previous 12 games when Wiggins scored 10 or more points in a game.

Injury Updates

Freshman guard Del Jones missed Tuesday’s game with an ankle injury. Schieffelin continues to play through back spasms, as he was seen warming up with a back brace. He is also working through a minor calf strain. 

Schieffelin injured his lower leg with 3:00 to play in the first overtime with the game tied at 68-68. He did return.

Up Next

Clemson will host No. 2 Duke at Littlejohn Coliseum Saturday in a matchup between the top two teams in the ACC. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

photo by Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY Network