Pitt loses another road game, this time to ACC foe Clemson

CLEMSON, S.C. — Senior guard Marcquise Reed scored 26 points, and Clemson rediscovered its touch from long range Tuesday night in an 82-69 victory against Pitt in an ACC game at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Reed, the Tigers’ leading scorer at 19.3 points per game, enjoyed another big night, making 8 of 13 shots from the floor and 6 of 6 free throws.

The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for the Tigers, who improved to 12-8 overall and 2-5 in ACC play. Clemson, which is 5-3 all-time against the Panthers, handed Pitt its 19th consecutive road defeat. The Panthers have lost 16 in a row on the road in ACC play.

The Panthers (12-9, 2-6) have lost four straight games.

Freshman guard Xavier Johnson paced Pitt, which never drew closer than 17 points in the second half, by scoring a career-high 30 points, making 10 of 14 shots from the floor. Senior swingman Jared Wilson-Frame added 14 points for the Panthers.

Pitt simply can’t buy a road victory. The Panthers might have two opportunities to end their road ACC losing streak on the horizon: Pitt plays at Wake Forest (1-6) on Feb. 5 and at Boston College (2-4) on Feb. 12. The Panthers’ last road victory came Feb. 8, 2017 at Boston College.

Pitt hosts Syracuse at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Petersen Events Center.

Reed’s backcourt mate, senior guard Shelton Mitchell, broke out of his recent slump with 14 points. Mitchell entered the game having made only 2 of his 19 attempts from 3-point range in ACC games but was a perfect 4 of 4 from beyond the arc in the first half.

His four 3-pointers matched his career high and helped the Tigers to their largest lead of the game: a 28-point halftime advantage at 51-23.

Clemson made 67.7 percent of its shots in the first half, which is the highest first-half percentage in nine seasons under coach Brad Brownell. The Tigers’ 51 points in the first half also matched the most first-half points scored in the Brownell era.

Sophomore guard Clyde Trapp, who contributed to Clemson’s long-range assault by making four 3-pointers, added 16 points for the Tigers. Javan White, a graduate transfer from Oral Roberts, scored 10 points, his career best as a Tiger.

Clemson finished with a season-high 14 3-pointers and shot 51.9 percent from beyond the arc.