If this was to be Jordan Roper’s, Landry Nnoko’s and Josh Smith’s last game in a Clemson uniform, then it surely will not be a memorable one.

Despite leading by 18 points with 8:46 to play at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., the seventh-seeded Tigers were eliminated from the ACC Basketball Tournament on Wednesday with an 88-85 overtime loss to No. 10 seed Georgia Tech. It marked Clemson’s fourth loss in the last five games, and the second time this year it blew a large second-half lead to Georgia Tech.

The Tigers led the Yellow Jackets by 13 points in the second half before succumbing to a 75-73 loss on Feb. 23 in Atlanta.

Obviously, a painful loss,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. “I thought our guys played really well for 35 minutes of the game. Give Georgia Tech’s kids and Brian credit, they kept playing and competing.

“You know, it’s tough. Just down the stretch, we couldn’t get any rebounds. It basically became a free throw contest. We just would watch them shoot free throws the last six minutes of the game. I think it’s tough.”

Clemson (17-14) led 67-49 following two Sidy Djitte free throws with 8:46 to play. After that, it was all Georgia Tech.

Marcus Georges-Hunt went 15 for 16 from the free throw line and scored 28 points as the Yellow Jackets took advantage of a Clemson team that went cold and could not get its grip back on the game.

Georgia Tech (19-13) will face No. 4 Virginia in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

Adam Smith had 23 points and Nick Jacobs added 12 for the Yellow Jackets.

Jaron Blossomgame, who named to the All-ACC First-Team earlier this week, led Clemson with 22 points before fouling out, while Avry Holmes added 19.

“I feel like the whole entire game we were together. Then we kind of shaded away at the end of the game,” Holmes said. “I would say just we were up by 18, I felt like we just laid back and weren’t as aggressive, more together at the end of the game.”

The back-and-forth first half featured six lead changes, but ended with Clemson up by nine. The Tigers expanded their lead to 18 with three-pointers from Gabe DeVoe, Holmes and Ty Hudson with 9:25 left.

Then it all fell apart. Georgia Tech put the ball in Georges-Hunt’s hands, and he made the most of it. The senior guard scored 22 points in the second half, including 13 from the free throw line.

As a team the Yellow Jackets were 22-of-29 from the foul line, while the Tigers were 13-of-19. Georges-Hunt nearly had as many attempts and made two more than the entire Clemson team, cashing in on 15-of-16 from the free throw line.

“I really think (the officials) and all those guys are good. But I think sometimes you get caught up in the moment. I don’t know, I’m anxious to see if there weren’t one or two (fouls) were tough calls against us that kind of keep the momentum going,” Brownell said. “I thought our guys really competed, played well. But it’s frustrating. We couldn’t get rebounds. They made a lot of free throws down the stretch. That was the difference.”

Fouled on the floor with 12.9 seconds left, Georges-Hunt hit both free throws to tie the score at 80. Holmes missed his desperate attempt from the baseline at the buzzer as the game went to overtime.

When James White scored 18 seconds into overtime, it was Georgia Tech’s first lead since 23-20 midway through the first half. Tech never gave up the lead again, as Georges-Hunt hit two more free throws and DeVoe’s 3-point attempt with 1.7 second left hit the side of the backboard.

Clemson now has to wait until Sunday to see if its season will continue with an invitation to the NIT.

“It would mean a lot. I know everybody talks on balanced schedule and all those things. But we were 10-8, seventh seed in the tournament, actually tied for sixth with Virginia Tech,” Brownell said. “I certainly think we’re tournament-worthy. It would be a good thing for this team to get to continue to play more.

“So, yeah, we’re very hopeful and optimistic that the league will make a good recommendation for us with what we did especially in ACC play this year.”

Above Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 9, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Clemson Tigers dance team preforms in the first half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during day two of the ACC conference tournament at Verizon Center. Photo Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports