Clemson Storms Back in Second Half to Beat Virginia Tech

Clemson didn't look horrible in the first half Thursday night, but they certainly looked like a team that could be headed for a losing streak, based solely on Virginia Tech pouring in 53 points -- 22 of them from Malcolm Delaney -- before halftime.

But the Tigers rebounded in the second half, holding the Hokies to just 29 points over that span, to pull out a four point win on the road.

Delaney was nearly unstoppable, scoring a career high 37, but 29 (including seven 3-pointers) from Clemson's Keith Rivers and a 21-point, 13-rebound double-double by Trevor Booker, combined with an 18-0 second half run by the Tigers, was too much for the sophomore to overcome by himself.

Virginia Tech had a chance to tie Duke for the overall ACC lead and become the conference's early season surprise, but the real story ended up becoming Clemson's ability to win on the road, no small feat in the ACC.

The Tigers were staring down, as noted earlier this week, a tough four-game stretch, and winning the first game, away from home no less, goes a long way towards validating their national standing, not to mention keeping them competitive in a strong ACC.