Clemson loses to Virginia 77-73

With the game tied at 70 and two minutes left to play, it seemed like Clemson (11-6) was doing what they needed to do to come away with the win against Virginia (13-3). Jaron Blossomgame had been playing well, having just tied the game with an and-one.

But, the final two minutes belonged to London Perrantes, who scored five points down the stretch and led the Cavaliers to a 77-73 win. The loss dropped Clemson to just 1-4 in ACC play, despite playing well against Virginia, Notre Dame and North Carolina.

Box score

“We're in the best basketball conference in America, so we need to put the focus on us and what we need to do,” Blossomgame said to media after the loss, according to a tweet from Clemson Basketball.

Blossomgame finished the game with 22 points shooting 10-14 from the field. Avry Holmes and Gabe DeVoe both added 15 points. Additionally, Clemson won the turnover battle, recording nine steals, and 23 points off turnovers, to Virginia’s two steals and 11 points off turnovers.

Although the Tigers lost, they were able to do what most teams could not; they scored on the Cavaliers top-ranked defense. Clemson is only the second team to top 70 points against Virginia, who has been averaging just 52.1 points allowed per game.

Despite playing well on offense in the game, Clemson just could not get the stops they needed to win the game. Virginia shot a sky-high 58 percent from the field including 55.6 percent from three.

Looking forward, Clemson will take on Louisville on the road next week. The Cardinals are coming off a win over Duke today and Clemson will need to bring the same offensive intensity coupled with a better defensive game to get the win.