CLEMSON, S.C. – Virginia Tech dropped its regular season finale against Clemson, 63-59, on Saturday afternoon in the Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Hokies (19-12, 11-9) had two players score in double figures, led by Nahiem Alleyne, who had 17 points and two steals. Justyn Mutts flirted with a double-double when he tacked on 15 points and nine rebounds, while Keve Aluma added seven points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
Virginia Tech shot a season-high 30 3-pointers, but only connected on nine. Alleyne accounted for five of the Hokies' connections from deep, with four coming in the first half.
Overall, Tech struggled from the field, as it put up its worst shooting percentage (37.3%) of ACC play this season.
Clemson's bench was the deciding factor, as usual start PJ Hall came on as a substitute after missing three games with an injury. His 12 points made him one of three players on the Clemson bench to score in double figures.
How It Happened
After starting the game 0-7 from the field (0-6 from deep), Nahiem Alleyne got Virginia Tech's first field goal to fall at the 11:52 mark. That bucket triggered a run, in which Alleyne scored 12 of the Hokies' next 17 points, shooting 4-4 from beyond the arc. Between the under-8 and under-4 media timeout, the Tech put together an 11-1 run to take a 26-19 lead. After that, the Tigers carried an 11-4 run into the break.
The team's exchanged buckets throughout the start of second half before Clemson put together a 10-2 run between 12:33 and 10:08, settling the score at 50-44. The Tigers wouldn't give up the lead from that point.
Game Notes
» Virginia Tech lost despite a 31-29 rebounding advantage. It was the second time (vs. Miami) this season Tech lost the game despite winning the rebounding margin.
» Nahiem Alleyne led the Hokies with a game-high 17 points. His five 3s tied his career high.
» Virginia Tech got a game-high nine rebounds from Justyn Mutts.
» The defeat marked Mike Young's first loss to Clemson since joining the Hokies.
Gallery: (3-5-2022) MBB: at Clemson