Viktor Lakhin collected 16 points and seven rebounds as No. 11 Clemson rolled to a 65-47 wire-to-wire victory over visiting Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Jaeden Zackery added 12 points, four assists and four steals as the Tigers (26-5, 18-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) captured their eighth straight victory and matched a program record for wins in an entire season, including the postseason. They broke the mark for regular-season victories.
Clemson completed a regular-season sweep of Virginia Tech for the second time in three years and with all eight of the Tigers’ consecutive victories coming in the conference, that set a team record as well.
The Tigers did it with defense, forcing the Hokies to commit 23 turnovers. Clemson outscored Virginia Tech off those mistakes 25-11.
Brandon Rechsteiner scored 11 points and Jaydon Young added 10 for the Hokies (13-18, 8-12), who made 41.3 percent of their shots, including 8 of 25 (32 percent) from 3-point range.
Clemson took control early, going on an eight-point spree that was fueled by reserves Del Jones and Jake Heidbreder, moments after they entered the game.
Jones triggered it with a driving layup, then added two free throws after he made a steal. Jones followed with a jumper from the paint and Heidbreder added a steal and a breakaway layup that put the Tigers up 19-9 with 11:44 left in the first half.
For the rest of the half, Lakhin was the dominant player on the floor, throwing down two slam dunks and attacking the boards with two putbacks and adding another basket.
Lakhin’s 10 points in the final 11 minutes of the half gave the Tigers a 35-20 lead at the break.
In the second half, Clemson’s advantage toggled between 12 and 19 points. When the Tigers’ offense bogged down midway through the period, Chauncey Wiggins provided a spark with a putback slam and a 3-pointer.
Clemson overcame making just 3 of 20 shots from deep (15 percent) for the game. The Tigers were accurate from inside the arc however, as they made 24 of 41 (58.5 percent) of their two-point tries.
The Tigers had already clinched a double bye into next week’s ACC tournament in Charlotte, N.C. They will open Thursday in the quarterfinal round.
–Field Level Media
