Men's Basketball ACCtion: Sunday, December 21
Clemson runs past Miami in ACC opener; Virginia Tech wins, FSU falls.



Dec. 21, 2008

Clemson Rolls at Miami, 91-72

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -- K.C. Rivers scored 28 points and No. 25 Clemson easily overcame an early 12-point deficit on the way to beating Miami 91-72 Sunday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

Terrence Oglesby added 17 points for the Tigers (12-0, 1-0), who kept pace with No. 3 Pittsburgh for Division I's best record this season. Pitt stayed perfect by beating Florida State earlier Sunday.

Jack McClinton scored 20 points for Miami (7-3, 0-1), which doomed itself with a season-high 22 turnovers -- 12 in the final 11 minutes of the first half, a stretch where the Hurricanes were outscored 29-9 -- and by missing 12 of its first 17 free throws.

Demontez Stitt scored 10 points and Trevor Booker grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds for Clemson, which improved to 44-0 in games played before Dec. 22 over the past four years. Cyrus McGowan scored 11 points, while Dwayne Collins and Brian Asbury each had 10 for the Hurricanes.

Hokies defend Holiday Festival title with 81-67 win over St. John's

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Virginia Tech used a strong second half performance to claim an 81-67 win over St. John’s to successfully defend their title in the 2008 Aeropostale Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden on Sunday evening.

The Hokies, now 8-4 overall, took a 39-35 lead into the intermission, but used a balanced attack to outscore the Red Storm, 42-32 in the second half. St. John’s, now 9-2 on the season, was able to keep the game close in the early stages of the second half, but the 1-3-1 zone and the clutch shooting of Tech’s backcourt helped the Hokies secure the win.

Malcolm Delaney won the Lou Carnesecca Award, given annually to the tournament Most Valuable Player. He was joined on the all-tournament team by teammate A.D. Vassallo, who was the winner of the Carnesseca Award last season. Delaney scored 25 points and had nine rebounds in the Hokies’ first round win over Columbia, 64-52, on Saturday afternoon.

FSU Men's Basketball Defeated By Pittsburgh, 56-48

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -Sam Young kept Pittsburgh unbeaten on a night in which the Panthers weren't making many shots. The 6-foot-6 senior forward scored 21 points, including two critical baskets in the final 1:51, and the third-ranked Panthers overcame a woeful 33 percent shooting effort in a ragged 56-48 victory at Florida State.

Pitt (12-0) nearly wasted a 17-0 run keyed by two 3-points shots by Jermaine Dixon that gave them a 43-34 lead with 8:53 left. But Florida State (11-2) made one last push, tying the game at 48 on Uche Echefu's jumper with 2:23 left.