Hokies rally in fourth quarter, knock off Clemson

Rachel Camp made two clutch baskets in the final two minutes and scored 18 points in Virginia Tech's 53-45 victory

February 18, 2018

	1	2	3	4	F
Clemson (11-17, 1-14)	19	10	8	8	45
Virginia Tech (17-10, 6-8)	9	13	10	21	53
Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va. - 2,425 High Points: 18 - Rachel Camp High Rebounds: 10 - Taylor Emery Box Score Photo Gallery

BLACKSBURG – Rachel Camp scored seven straight points late in the fourth quarter, and Taylor Emery made four free throws in the waning moments to lift Virginia Tech to a 53-45 ACC victory over Clemson on Sunday afternoon at Carilion Clinic Court.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Hokies, who moved to 17-10 overall, 6-8 in ACC play. The six wins are tied for the most in league play since the program joined the ACC in the 2004-05 season.

“We’ve had some games where we played pretty and we lost, so I’ll take an ugly win,” Tech head coach Kenny Brooks said. “You’ve got to give credit to our kids. They came out and never really hung their head when it actually looked bleak. We could just never really get going in the beginning, but you have to give credit to Clemson. That’s the way they make you play.”

In a game that turned into a struggle offensively for both squads, the Hokies rallied in the fourth quarter after trailing for the majority of the game. They won despite shooting just 36.2 percent from the floor and committing 21 turnovers.

Tech trailed 41-34 after Clemson’s Kobi Thornton made a layup with 8:57 remaining in the game. But the Hokies responded by going on a 19-2 run, grabbing the lead and holding on for the victory.

Kendyl Brooks’ two free throws with 4:02 to go gave the Hokies a 42-41 lead, but Camp made the big plays during that stretch. She converted a three-point play with 1:46 left to give the Hokies the lead for good, and then she gave Tech some breathing room when she buried a 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining to push the lead to 48-43.

“I thought the MVP of the game was Rachel Camp,” Kenny Brooks said. “She did a tremendous job. She played so hard. She didn’t always come out and do the things that we asked her to do, but her effort, her intent, was always perfect … Good things happened for her down the stretch, and she had a couple of big, big plays.”

Emery then sealed things for the Hokies by making four free throws in the final 24 seconds.

Despite its struggles on offense, Tech played well on defense, holding the Tigers to just three field goals in the fourth quarter and to 29.7 percent shooting for the game. Tech also out-rebounded the Tigers 46-33.

Camp led Tech with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Emery finished with a double-double, scoring 16 points – 14 in the second half – and 10 rebounds.

GAME NOTES

• The Hokies are now 14-2 this season when out-rebounding their opponent.

• Tech’s 36.2 shooting percentage was its worst in an ACC win this season.

• Emery’s double-double marked the first of her career.

• Emery set a career high with the 10 rebounds.

• Emery has scored in double figures in 13 straight games.

• Since moving into the starting lineup on Dec. 31, Camp has scored in double figures in six games, including three of the past four.

TWEET OF THE GAME

KNOCK DOWN@rachelc_23 with a big 3-pointer to put us up 5

Under a minute to go pic.twitter.com/gLT4BCptB3

— VT Women's Hoops (@HokiesWBB) February 18, 2018

UP NEXT

The Hokies close out the regular season with two road games, starting with Thursday’s game at Notre Dame. Tech and the Irish tip off at 7 p.m.

For updates on Virginia Tech women's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @HokiesWBB