Associated Press
The ACC tournament roundup …
GREENSBORO ó Demontez Stitt and Clemson finally claimed a victory in a postseason tournament. They hope theyíve done enough to earn a spot in a bigger bracket.
Stitt scored 20 points to lead the Tigers past Boston College 70-47 in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.
Jerai Grant added 12 points and Milton Jennings had 10 to help the fourth-seeded Tigers (21-10) snap a six-game losing streak in the postseason that began in the 2008 ACC title game and was followed by one-and-dones in three straight NCAA tournaments and two ACC tournaments.
They did it by shooting 45 percent on 23-of-51 shooting and clamping down on one of the ACCís best 3-point shooting teams, winning a game both teams desperately needed to polish their NCAA tournament profiles and possibly move themselves off the bubble.
ěIíve heard ëelimination gameí for our team the last two games, if not more than that,î coach Brad Brownell said, referring to a season-ending win over fellow bubble team Virginia Tech. ěThese guys have responded every time and have played exceptionally well, and weíre riding their coattails.î
Clemson, which has won two straight and four of five, now faces No. 6 and top-seeded North Carolina in one semifinal Saturday.
ěI would think we made a pretty good showing again today,î Brownell said. ěWe beat another very good team, and we beat them well, and we played well to do it. Now weíre going to try to take on one of the top teams in the country and give them a good game and see if we canít find a way to win.î
Joe Trapani scored 20 points to lead fifth-seeded BC (20-12). All-ACC guard Reggie Jackson was pestered all day by Stitt and finished with 11 points on 5-of-13 shooting.
ěThey do as good a job as anybody at extending their defense, yet staying disciplined,î BC coach Steve Donahue said. ěWeíve had a lot of teams really get in (our faces) and then, all of a sudden, weíre getting by them and weíre getting wide-open shots. It just doesnít happen against Clemson.î
Stitt scored at least 14 points for the ninth straight game. The Tigers made Brownell the winningest first-year coach in school history and won just their fifth ACC tournament game since 1998.
Virginia Tech 52, Fla. St. 51
GREENSBORO ó Erick Green hit the go-ahead jumper with 4.7 seconds left, while Derwin Kitchen’s desperation shot at the buzzer was waved off as Virginia Tech edged Florida State 52-51 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Friday night.
Green was just 1 for 12 from the field for the sixth-seeded Hokies (21-10) before taking a feed from Malcolm Delaney and calmly sinking a jumper near the 3-point arc. The third-seeded Seminoles (21-10) called timeout and inbounded to Kitchen, who dribbled into the right corner before launching a fadeaway over a defender at the horn.
The ball dropped through the net and the officials initially called it good, sending the Seminoles spilling oncourt to mob Kitchen. Meanwhile, Delaney and Green walked to midcourt with their hands on their heads in disbelief.
But officials soon reviewed the replays and reversed the call.