Brad Brownell: Clemson basketball dealt with stomach bug ahead of Virginia Tech game

Clemson fought through adversity to defeat Virginia Tech 72-57 on Saturday. However, Tigers fans weren’t aware of just how impressive their team’s gritty performance was until after the game.

“Really proud of my team. We’ve been battling some stomach bug stuff all week and have just found ways to be resilient,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. “I thought we played very hard today, played well in spurts, didn’t turn the ball over much, and just did enough good things to win the game.

“We knew that Virginia Tech — just have so much respect for [Hokies head coach] Mike [Young] — that those guys would come out after halftime and make a run and give us a big punch, and they did.”

Clemson had a strong first half, taking a 41-29 lead into the break. Alas, the Hokies didn’t roll over and cut the Tigers’ lead to just six points with 12:02 left in the second half.

Just 10 seconds later, Clemson called a timeout to talk things over. The Tigers were without leading scorer Chase Hunter, who was suffering from flu-like symptoms. Alas, with Virginia Tech closing in on Clemson’s lead, Hunter checked into the game.

Although Hunter only finished the contest with two points on 1-4 shooting, his presence helped the Tigers to regain a comfortable handle on their lead and ultimately run away with a 15-point win. After the game, Brownell praised Hunter’s gutsy performance.

“Obviously, I’m super proud of Chase Hunter for going in the last 10 minutes and really helping us ice the game,” Brownell said. “We talked about it before the game, and he came to us and said, ‘Coach, if you need me, if we get foul trouble or anything, I can help.’

“We actually did the same thing with Viktor [Lakhin] in a game earlier this year when he wasn’t feeling very well… Obviously, we needed [Hunter], and came away with a good road win.”

Of course, Hunter wasn’t the only Tiger who was worthy of praise. Junior forward Chauncey Wiggins scored a team-high 16 points in Hunter’s absence while shooting 4-6 from beyond the arc. It’s only the third time this season Hunter has scored 16 or more points in a single game.

Freshman guard Del Jones was also pivotal for the Tigers, recording a career-high 13 points in the win. He added five rebounds and two assists to Clemson’s winning effort, as well.

With the victory, Clemson is on a five-game win streak and second in the ACC standings, only trailing Duke. The Tigers will look to build on their momentum on Saturday when they square off against NC State at 1:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on the CW Network.