Georgia Tech stuns Clemson in ACC

ATLANTA, March 12 (UPI) -- Lewis Clinch scored 32 points Thursday to lead Georgia Tech to the biggest surprise in the ACC Tournament's opening round -- an 86-81 win over Clemson.

The Yellow Jackets were seeded 12th and last in the tourney, but built a 13-point lead with 4 minutes to play and held on down the stretch.

Clemson -- which owns a win over Duke this season and which defeated Georgia Tech twice during the regular campaign -- is a certain at-large pick for the NCAA Tournament. But the Tigers' seeding likely suffered with Thursday's loss.

Virginia Tech, Maryland and Boston College also reached the ACC quarterfinals Thursday.

Virginia Tech opened the day with a 65-47 victory over Miami, setting up a quarterfinal meeting with No. 1 North Carolina. The Hokies used a 14-0 second-half run to pull away.

Maryland rallied to defeat North Carolina State 74-69 and will meet second-seeded Wake Forest Friday. The Terrapins faced an early 20-8 deficit before coming back on Erik Hayes' 21 points.

Boston College closed out the night with a 76-63 victory over Virginia. That earned the Eagles a date with third-seeded Duke.