After a 41-game ACC losing streak, the Tigers pulled through with a hard-earned 62-61 triumph over the Georgia Tech (GT) Yellow Jackets this afternoon. Once again led by Aliyah Collier, this time with a game-high 21 points, the Tigers went from a one-point deficit to a one-point lead with six seconds left (tension, anyone?) thanks to Collier’s back-to-back free throws.
Besides leading the Tigers in points, Collier led in field goals, making 7/13 (53.8 percent), and in free throws with a perfect 7/7. Second in points for the Tigers was Jaia Alexander with 11; she went 3/7 (42.9 percent) in field goals and a near-perfect 5/6 (83.3 percent) at the free throw line. For the second game in a row, Ivy Atkism shot 100 percent in field goals, again going 4/4. 
For GT, Zaire O’Neil led with 19 points, going 7/12 (58.3 percent) in field goals and a flawless 5/5 in free throws. Imani Tilford and Katarina Vuckovic followed O’Neil with 10 points each.
While GT led 29-23 at halftime, Clemson made a ferocious re-entry in the third quarter initially going 8/8 in field goals to the Yellow Jackets’ 1/8 (12.5 percent). Both teams crushed on the free throw line, the Tigers going 8/9 (88.9 percent) to GT’s 6/7 (85.7 percent). Clemson took the lead with 6:31 left in the third quarter at 34-33, but hit a severe dry spell at 4:16, not making another field goal for over nine minutes, putting the game at 54-49 with GT once again leading. The Tigers snapped back into action, making another 12 points in the last five minutes to make a last-minute comeback, breaking both their ACC losing streak and their eight-game losing streak. 
The Yellow Jackets’ offensive break in the third quarter and their failure to stop the Tigers in their third and fourth quarter scoring frenzies secured their fifth loss in a row, the fourth in the ACC. 
After the new year’s first win, the Tigers are left with a record of 12-10, 1-8 in the ACC, and GT is left at 13-8, 2-6 in the ACC. 
The Tigers will attempt to continue their comeback this Thursday, Feb. 2 when they play at Duke; tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Cameron Indoor Stadium.