Clemson’s defense struggled for a good portion of Wednesday’s game at Boston College, but when it needed to get the stops the most it got them in the end.

The Tigers held BC scoreless over the final 5:32, as they hung on for a 78-69 victory at the Silvio O. Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

“Give our guys credit, we did play well defensively down the stretch and that is why we won the game,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said.

Clemson (25-5, 17-2 ACC) was led by Jaeden Zackery’s game-high 21 points in his return to Chestnut Hill. The Tigers also got another double-double from Viktor Lakin, who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds, while Chase Hunter added 18 points and had three assists.

Ian Schieffelin had 13 points and eight rebounds.

Zackery played for the Eagles from 2021-’24 prior to coming to Clemson this past off-season. His 21 points were one point shy of his career-high of 22, which he scored against the Tigers in last year’s loss to BC in the ACC Tournament.

“Jaeden has been very consistent, as you would expect,” Brownell said. “He is a very good match with Chase. Last year, Joe (Girard) was a great match for our team with PJ Hall and them, but Jaeden has been a good match with Chase because it has allowed Chase to relax and score a little more.”

Boston College (12-18, 4-15 ACC) cut the Tigers lead to three points, 72-69, with 5:32 to play on two Luka Toews’ free throws. That was the last time the Eagles scored in the game.

Over the final 5:32, BC missed its last five shots and two free throws. The Eagles finished the game by missing 12 of their last 13 shots.

BC’s last field goal came with 6:22 to play when Jayden Hastings’ layup and-one pulled his team within three points, 70-67. Hastings led the Eagles with a career-high 18 points and five rebounds.

Clemson led by 16 points, 41-25, with 4:07 to go in the first half on a Schieffelin three-pointer. It was the Tigers’ largest lead of the night.

“We have to play better than we played tonight,” Brownell said. “We were just too inconsistent. The first 15 minutes were good, but the last 25 were very average and Boston College had something to do with that.”

The Eagles cut the lead to 10 points before halftime, 49-39, and then slowly chipped away at it before drawing within two points, 62-60, with 10:51 to play on Dion Brown’s three-pointer.

“Some of it was off our turnovers. We are turning the ball over, so now they are running at us,” Brownell said. “Then, obviously, we missed some shots, so now it’s missed offense.

“It was more than them doing anything differently, though they did play a smaller lineup a little bit more, so now they have more speed on the floor. Those were probably the things that happened.”

Boston College turned the Tigers over 11 times in the second half to get back in the game, leading to nine fastbreak points. But, like they did the entire game, Clemson answered the BC run.

It was over when

The Tigers went on a 7-0 run thanks to a Lakhin layup, a Zackery three-pointer and a Schieffelin layup. That gave them a 69-60 advantage with 7:30 to go.

Tying an all-time record

Wednesday’s win over the Eagles was Clemson’s 25th of the season, tying the program’s all-time record for wins in a single season. It also tied the 1986-’87 team for the most wins in a regular season by a Clemson team.

The 1986-’87 team, lead by ACC Player of the Year Horace Grant, finished the regular season 25-4. Unfortunately for those Tigers, they lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament and the first round of the NCAA Tournament that year.

Tying another all-time record

The Tigers tied a program record with its seventh consecutive ACC win. The 1966-’67 and 2022-’23 Clemson squads also won seven consecutive ACC games.

Road Warriors

Clemson extended its record to eight consecutive road wins in ACC play. First winning record (9-1) since 5-2 mark in 1986-’87.

Ties Season High

Clemson scored 49 first half points on Wednesday. It marked the third time the Tigers have scored 49 points in the opening half of a game this season. They also scored 49 points against North Carolina on Feb. 10 and 49 points on Nov. 4 against Charleston Southern.

The Tigers led 49-39 at the break.

Injuries

Clemson guard Chase Hunter slipped on the defensive end of the court at the 10-minute mark of the second half. He came off the floor and was looked at by the trainer at the end of the bench.

Hunter has been dealing with a calf strain the last couple of weeks. He returned with 7:24 to play in the game.

Up Next

Clemson closes out the regular season on Saturday when it hosts Virginia Tech at Littlejohn Coliseum. The game is set to tip at 6 p.m.

–Photo courtesy USA TODAY Network