George scores 28 points, Ndongo adds 18 to help Georgia Tech pull away and beat Clemson 89-86 in 3OT

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Naithan George scored 28 points, Baye Ndongo scored seven of his 18 points in triple-overtime and Georgia Tech beat Clemson 89-86 on Tuesday night.

Ndongo’s hook shot gave Georgia Tech an 87-84 lead with 1:57 left. Chase Hunter’s layup pulled Clemson within one before Ndongo made two shots from the free-throw line. Hunter missed a 3-pointer on the Tigers’ final possession.

Tech has won back-to-back games for the first time since a three-game winning streak ended with a 62-55 loss at Syracuse on Jan. 7.

George was 12 of 26 from the field and Ndongo grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds. Duncan Powell scored 19 points for Georgia Tech (11-12, 5-7 ACC). Lance Terry added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Ibrahim Souare scored nine points and had 12 of the Yellow Jackets’ 56 rebounds.

Hunter was 4 of 12 from distance and finished with 28 points on 9-of-24 shooting to lead Clemson (18-5, 10-2), which ended a six-game winning streak. Ian Schieffelin added 23 points.

Powell hit a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left to pull the Yellow Jackets within 64-62 in regulation. Powell launched another 3-point attempt that hit the backboard but followed the shot and scored on the putback at the buzzer to force overtime tied 64-all.

Neither team scored in the final 2:27 of the first overtime with the game tied at 70. Souare’s dunk knotted it 77-77 with 15 seconds left and Hunter missed a 3 to send it to triple OT.

In last season’s meeting at Clemson, (Jan. 16, 2024), Georgia Tech erased a nine-point deficit in the final 1:43 of regulation and won 93-90 in double-overtime.

In Saturday games, Georgia Tech plays at Virginia and Clemson hosts second-ranked Duke.

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