Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Postgame Notes

March 3, 2010

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Team Notes

Tonight’s victory gives Clemson a 9-6 ACC record and clinches athird straight winning record in ACC play. It is the first time inhistory Clemson has had three consecutive winning records in ACCplay. This is the first time all year Clemson has been three gamesover .500 in ACC play. Clemson finishes the regular season with a7-1 record in ACC home games. All seven wins were by at least eightpoints. Tonight was Clemson’s fifth ACC home win by double digits.This evening was Oliver Purnell’s 50th career win in ACC regularseason play and his 53rd overall against ACC teams (including theACC Tournament). The record is 59 wins over ACC teams by CliffEllis, who coached at Clemson for 10 years. Tonight was Clemson’s30th win over Georgia Tech in Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson hasdefeated the Yellow Jackets in Littlejohn more than any otherschool. Clemson has now won six straight games on Senior Night andOliver Purnell’s is 6-1 in his seven years at Clemson. The onlyloss came to Georgia Tech in 2004, the year Georgia Tech advancedto the NCAA Championship game. Tonight was the 93rd overall victoryfor Clemson’s seniors (Trevor Booker and David Potter) and the 35thin ACC regular season play. That is a Clemson record in bothcategories for a senior class. Clemson had shot at least 75 percentfrom the foul line in five straight games and had won reboundmargin in seven straight games entering tonight. Both of thosestreaks were snapped by large margins tonight (47 percent from theline and -12 in rebound margin) yet Clemson won the game. Clemsonhad 12 made three -point goals in tonight’s game, its high figurein an ACC game this year and second most in any game all year.Clemson had 14 at Liberty earlier in the year. Clemson has won twogames in three days, one by scoring 53 points and one by scoring 91points. This is the first time Clemson has won two ACC games inthree days since the 2007-08 season when Clemson defeated GeorgiaTech on Feb. 14 and won at NC State on Feb. 16. Clemson is now70-29 all time in Senior Day games, including a 31-8 record since1971-72. Clemson led 44-41 at halftime this evening. In 16 homegames this year Clemson never trailed at intermission. The Tigerswere tied with Duke, 23-23 on January 23. Clemson improved to 25thin the RPI after tonight’s victory. It was Clemson’s fifth win overan RPI top 50 team this year, the Tigers second in a row and fourthsince January 31. Clemson will attempt to tie the school record forACC regular season wins at Wake Forest on Sunday when the Tigers gofor a 10th ACC win. Clemson won 10 ACC games in the regular seasonin 1986-87, 1989-90 and 2007-08. The school record for conferencewins in a year is 11. The 1951-52 Clemson team under coach BanksMcFadden was 11-4 in the Southern Conference. Clemson is now 16-0this year when it shoots better from the field than the opposition.Clemson’s 21/11 assist/turnover ratio was its best in an ACC gamethis year. All 10 players who participated for the Tigers tonightmade at least one field goal and had at least one rebound.

Individual Notes

Trevor Booker joined many other Clemson greats with SeniorNight wins over Georgia Tech. Horace Grant (30 points), GregBuckner (30 points), Grayson Marshall (19 points, 11 assists andeight rebounds) and Dale Davis (23 points and 18 rebounds), all hadmemorable Senior Nights in victories over the Yellow Jackets.Booker had 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocksin tonight’s Clemson win. Fittingly, Booker’s final field goal inLittlejohn Coliseum was a signature rebound dunk, the 148th dunk ofhis Clemson career. Booker now has 1691 career points and need justsix points to move past Horace Grant into fifth place in Clemsonhistory. He is already third in rebounding with 1037. When he getsthose six points he will be the only player in Clemson history inthe top five in school history in scoring and rebounding. Bookerestablished a Clemson record for consecutive starts tonight when hemade his 131st in a row. He breaks the record of 130 by formerteammate Cliff Hammonds, who played from 2004-08. Demontez Stitthad 20 points this evening, just his second 20-point game of theyear, his first since the win over North Carolina on Jan. 13. Stittmade four three point goals to tie a career high. His career highis 21 points at Wake Forest last season. Still has now made 19straight free throws. Andre Young made a three-point goal at thebuzzer to end the first half for the second straight game. He madea half court shot at Florida State on Sunday, and a 23 footthree-pointer tonight to give Clemson a 44-41 halftime lead.