Harris and Zackery Lead Boston College Over Clemson 76-55 in ACC Tournament Second Round

WASHINGTON (AP) — Claudell Harris Jr. scored 27 points, Jaeden Zackery added 22 and 11th-seeded Boston College cruised to a 76-55 victory over sixth-seeded Clemson on Wednesday night in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Boston College (19-14) has won four straight and will face third-seed Virginia (22-9) in a Thursday quarterfinal.

Harris and Zackery were a combined 18-of-34 shooting from the floor and made nine 3-pointers. Quinten Post added 11 points and Donald Hand Jr. had 10 for BC, which made 12 of its 24 field goals and all eight of its free throws in the second half.

PJ Hall scored 21 points to lead Clemson (21-11), which beat Boston College, 89-78, in the regular season. Joe Girard chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds.

BC closed the first half on a 22-9 run for a 40-28 lead at the break. Harris scored 13 points and Zackery added 10 first-half points for the Eagles. Girard hit consecutive 3s to end the half for Clemson. The Tigers cut their deficit to 10 points early in the second half but didn’t get closer.

Boston College entered 0-3 in ACC Tournament play against Clemson.

Of Note

• With the win, Boston College improves to 15-18 all-time in the ACC Tournament. The Eagles are advancing to the quarterfinals for the second straight season.
• It marks the first time in ACC Tournament history that the 11th-seed defeated the sixth-seed in the second round. No team ranked 10th-or-higher has advanced to the semifinals since the 2010 edition of the tournament.  
• The win is the Eagles’ first-ever victory over Clemson in the ACC Tournament, moving to 1-3 all-time.  
• Boston College fell to Virginia, 72-68, during the regular season. The Eagles and Cavaliers have split their two previous meetings in the ACC Tournament.
• The Eagles went a perfect 16-for-16 at the free throw line on Wednesday night, the highest single-game total without a miss in the history of the ACC Tournament second round. The 16-for-16 effort marked the second-most makes without a miss in tournament history, following a 22-for-22 showing by NC State in 1965.  
• Harris Jr’s 27-point effort was his highest single-game output since December 21, 2023 versus Lehigh.
• The 21-point triumph was the largest margin of victory of the season for Boston College.

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