Clemson’s men’s basketball team continued its hot start to ACC play Wednesday night and exacted some revenge in the process.

Now the Tigers have their best win of the season to boot.

Hunter Tyson and PJ Hall each scored 13 points, and Clemson outlasted Virginia Tech, 68-65, at Cassell Coliseum. Chase Hunter added 12 points for the Tigers (12-3 overall), who moved to 4-0 in league play by avenging Virginia Tech’s buzzer-beating win in the teams’ ACC Tournament meeting a season ago.

“Terrific win for our team,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said.

It’s Clemson’s best start to the conference portion of its schedule since starting 5-0 during the 1996-97 season. Wednesday’s win was also the Tigers’ first Quad 1 victory of the season, though it didn’t come without some drama.

Playing without junior guard Alex Hemenway (foot) for the third straight game, and with multiple Tigers in foul trouble for much of the night, Clemson got a career-high 10 points from freshman forward R.J. Godfrey, who logged a season-high 16 minutes. But Godfrey fouled out of a one-point game with 5 minutes, 44 seconds left, and Hall re-entered with four fouls.

Hall, who went 4 of 8 from the field in 25 minutes, knocked down a jumper to give Clemson a 59-58 lead with 3:56 remaining. The Tigers maintained their lead into the final two minutes and had a chance to push it to two possessions with 1:04 left, but Ian Schieffelin missed the front end of a 1-and-1 to keep the door cracked for the Hokies.

But Virginia Tech (11-4, 1-3) missed seven of its last eight shots from the field while Clemson made five of its final six free throws to hand the Hokies their first home loss of the season. Tyson scored 11 of his points in the second half and grabbed 14 more rebounds for his second straight double-double while senior guard Brevin Galloway chipped in 11 points.

“I think having those three older players (Hall, Tyson and Hunter) and Brevin Galloway, we have four guys that have played in the big environment,” Brownell said. “It got loud in here tonight, and our guys were fine. They were playing the game. I think sometimes that’s a big factor in your team.”

Grant Basile led four Virginia Tech players in double figures with 17 points, but Clemson held the Hokies to just 31% shooting. Godfrey helped the Tigers outscore Tech 17-8 in bench points, which helped Clemson overcome 14 turnovers and a minus-6 rebounding margin (42-36).

Clemson trailed 32-29 at the half after leading by as many as eight in the first 20 minutes. Godfrey led the Tigers with seven points at the break, but Clemson ran into foul trouble early. Hunter, Hall and Godfrey each picked up at least two fouls in the opening 20 minutes.

Tyson also started slow coming off his 31-point effort against NC State a week earlier, missing his first six attempts from 3-point range as part of 1-of-8 shooting in the first half. Clemson went the final 5:22 of the first half without a point, and Virginia Tech ended it on a 9-0 run.

But Tyson knocked down three of his four 3-pointers in the second half to help get the Tigers going late. And Clemson got just enough contributions from others to hold on for a win that sets up another marquee matchup Saturday at Pittsburgh with first place in the ACC standings on the line.

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