Wake Forest University
Clemson
Deacs Fall to Clemson, 95-83
2/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Final Stats (PDF) | Final Stats
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Despite a career-high 29 points from John Collins, Wake Forest fell to Clemson 95-83 Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Collins shot 12-of-14 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the career performance. The 29 points also mark his ninth consecutive 20-point game, the longest streak in the ACC this season and the most by a Deac since Skip Brown had a 10-game streak in 1974-75.
In addition to the career high, Collins pulled down 10 rebounds for his 12th double-double and his fifth 20-point, 10-rebound conference game of the season.
Bryant Crawford was one point shy of a matching a career high with 25 points, his 18th consecutive double figure game.
The last time two Demon Deacons recorded 25 points apiece was on Jan. 3, 2010 when Ish Smith totaled 28 and Al-Farouq Aminu finished with 26 against Xavier.
Crawford put the Deacs (15-11, 6-8 ACC) on the board early with a layup. The squads then traded baskets until a triple from Marcquise Reed gave Clemson (14-11, 4-9 ACC) its first lead of the night. However, the Deacs managed a 5-0 run while holding the Tigers scoreless for over two minutes to gain a 14-10 lead with 13:23 remaining in the half. Wake Forest held on to the lead until a 6-for-6 streak from the Tigers gave Clemson a six-point advantage with 7:55 to go. The Deacs managed to cut Clemson's lead to one with just over seven minutes left in the half but the Tigers went on a 12-2 run to take a 39-28 lead, forcing Wake Forest into a timeout. After the break, Clemson extended its lead to 14 and took a 46-32 lead into halftime.
The Tigers jumped out on an 8-2 run to gain a 20-point advantage early in the second half. The Deacs slowly chipped away at Clemson's lead throughout the half and managed a 7-0 run to bring the score within nine with 5:50 remaining in the contest. Clemson pulled away by double digits again but the Deacs stayed tough and brought the score within six with just over a minute remaining, 87-81. However, the Tigers sealed the game at the free throw line, going 8-for-8 in the final minute to finish with the 95-83 victory.
The Demon Deacons head to Durham, N.C. on Feb. 18 to take on No. 12 Duke. Tip is set for 1 p.m.
