Even though the Syracuse/UNCG matchup was postponed, Clemson and Georgia Tech still took the court on Tuesday night to kickoff the NIT Tournament.
First off, the Yellow Jackets hit the road to take on the No. 3 seed Indiana but it was the Hoosiers that were stung by the Yellow Jackets, as Georgia Tech took back the 75-63 win.
For Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets shot the ball well for much of the night, shooting 48 percent from the floor. Freshman Josh Okogie led the way for the Yellow Jackets, as he led all scorers with 24 points and seven rebounds. But Georgia Tech received a big bonus from two other starters and one off the bench.
Quinton Stephens chipped in 16 points and rebounded well with nine on the night, while Ben Lammers recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. One surprise though came off the bench as Tadric Jackson (averaging 11.8 points this season) chipped in 19 big points. Furthermore, they forced 16 turnovers as well against the Hoosiers.
Indiana was led by Juwan Morgan, who finished with 14 points.
Clemson on the other hand wasn’t so successful against Oakland. The Tigers were a No. 2 seed coming into the NIT and was hoping to secure the opening round win. After leading by 19 points at halftime (43-24), Clemson went cold while the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland put it on offensively in the second half.
After being down by 19, Oakland outscored Clemson 50-26 in the second half to take home the 74-69 win Tuesday.
Jaron Blossomgame finished his time at Clemson with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Shelton Mitchell was the only other player for the Tigers to get into double-figures (13 points). Overall, Clemson shot 38 percent from the floor, 35 percent from three, and didn’t find many opportunities at the free throw line (10-for-11).
Clemson finishes their season with an overall record of 17-16.
