Gabe DeVoe, Clemson basketball rally for ACC victory against Georgia Tech

CLEMSON – Gabe DeVoe snapped out of a slump.

So, too, did his team.

DeVoe matched his career high by scoring 25 points and Clemson broke a three-game losing streak Saturday, rallying from an 11-point deficit to top Georgia Tech 75-67 in a key Atlantic Coast Conference game at Littlejohn Coliseum.

“We made y’all work a little bit today – that’s good for all of us,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell told the sellout crowd after the game.

Indeed they did.

But DeVoe and the Tigers came up big when it counted most, inching ever closer to the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2011.

DeVoe, who was 2-for-14 from 3-point range over the Tigers’ last two games, regained his touch against the Yellow Jackets, going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.

Junior point guard Shelton Mitchell returned to Clemson’s lineup after missing the Tigers’ last two games while recovering from a concussion, and his impact was immediate. He scored 14 points and was a calming influence on both ends of the court.

“Those guys were the difference makers for us,” Brownell said. “Gabe was fantastic for us throughout the game and certainly it was good to have Shelton back. I thought he made a big difference and played with good poise today.”

Clemson, which is ranked 17th in the latest USA TODAY coaches poll and 15 by the Associated Press, improved to 21-7 overall, including a 10-6 record in ACC play that has the Tigers in sole possession of fourth place in the league standings.

Georgia Tech slipped to 11-18, 4-12 with its seventh consecutive defeat.

“I’m proud of my team for the way we came back and won today,” Brownell said. “Maybe we felt the game was going to be a little easier than it turned out to be.”

It was anything but easy.

Clemson led by as many as nine points midway through the first half, but Georgia Tech’s Tadric Jackson made three consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 16-5 run that gave the Yellow Jackets their first lead of the game, 26-24.

Led by sophomore guard Josh Okogie, who finished with 22 points, Georgia Tech held a 37-33 halftime lead. Okogie scored 17 first-half points on 6-of-6 shooting while also grabbing seven rebounds.

The Yellow Jackets opened the second half with a 7-0 run to push their lead to 11 and still held an 11-point edge 58-47 with 10 minutes left, but sparked by DeVoe and Mitchell, Clemson went on a 22-3 run over the next 9½ minutes to seize control.

Guard Marcquise Reed and center Elijah Thomas added 13 points apiece as the Tigers secured their third 10-win season in league play since the ACC went to an 18-game schedule six years ago.

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Clemson’s three seniors – DeVoe, Donte Grantham, and graduate transfer Mark Donnal – were honored before the game, and the Tigers’ stirring comeback sent their families back to North Carolina, West Virginia and Ohio, respectively, even happier they made the trip.

“We didn’t have our best stuff today,” Brownell said. “But we found a way to win, which is significant this time of year.”

The Tigers have only two regular-season games remaining – Wednesday against Florida State on Saturday at Syracuse – as they continue their quest for a Top 4 finish and double-bye in the upcoming ACC Tournament.