Dunk-happy Tigers roll

CLEMSON, S.C. — After a 75-57 demolition of Virginia, Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said it was very important that his team had gotten the win — and not just because it was Senior Night or for a potential bye in next week’s ACC Tournament.

“We didn’t want to lose,” Purnell said, “because anytime you lose two or three in a row, it can start to play with your mind.”

If that is indeed the case, Virginia players are probably about ready to star in a remake of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

On Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum, Virginia lost its fourth straight game. Earlier in the season, if you recall, UVa dropped eight in a row.

“Any losses hurt,” said Virginia senior Calvin Baker, who scored a career-high 18 points. “At first our team was playing good and starting to find its chemistry, but I feel like tonight we just went back to our old ways, especially going into the ACC tournament.

“We have one more game. We’re going to try and turn it around and have a little bit of momentum going into the ACC tournament.”

One player who will be looking to right the ship is freshman Sylven Landesberg. The guard had his third straight subpar performance. Landesberg was 0 of 6 on the night and didn’t score his first point until under four minutes remained and Virginia was down by 20. He finished with three points.

“It has caused some frustration on his part,” said Virginia coach Dave Leitao, whose team hosts Maryland in its final regular-season game on Saturday. “We need to get him some help from the other guys. We have to move the ball better. We had seven assists tonight, which is not very good.”

After a close first half in which Virginia trailed by just a point, Clemson exploded coming out of the locker room.

The Tigers (23-6, 9-6 ACC) started getting easy baskets in the paint — including a number of thunderous dunks from the likes of Trevor Booker (13 points, 15 rebounds) and Raymond Sykes.

Virginia (9-17, 3-12), meanwhile, couldn’t hit anything. After a Baker basket on the team’s very first possession put them up 33-32, the Cavaliers didn’t score on their next 13 possessions. After the 12th, Baker — after turning the ball over for the third time during the stretch — slammed the ball to the court and was hit with a technical foul as a hostile home crowd howled in delight.

The technical was one of three given to the Cavaliers on the evening.

“Calvin’s was frustration,” Leitao said. “He had been playing very hard … he was mad at himself.”

The first “T” came on Leitao in the first half when he disputed a no-call on a Jeff Jones drive. “He got fouled,” Leitao said. “It was physical play and I disagreed, so I stepped outside of the [coaching] box, unfortunately.”

The final technical came during garbage time at the end of the contest when seldom-used freshman John Brandenburg blocked a shot by Demontez Stitt and was called for taunting.

“I kind of lost control of my emotions after I blocked the shot,” Brandenburg said. “I kind of yelled at the guy. It was kind of a stupid thing to do.”

Brandenburg was making his first appearance since the Jan. 15 game at North Carolina.

“It wasn’t even English,” said Brandenburg, when asked what he had said to Stitt. “I was kind of frustrated with the way the game was going and just happy that something good had happened.”

The first half was a stark contrast from the second. The lead changed seven times.

Virginia, behind swarming defense and the hot shooting of Baker — he scored nine of the team’s first 11 points — built a 13-9 lead.

But Clemson went on a 13-0 run, highlighted by a Booker pass on the fastbreak to Terrence Oglesby, to take a 22-13 lead.

During that stretch, Leitao picked up his first technical foul of the season when he walked onto the court to dispute the no-call on Jones. The fiery display seemed to rally the team. Virginia countered with a 10-0 run to retake the lead, 23-22.

UVa forward Mike Scott scored nine of his 13 points before the break. “We made their players look like Wilt Chamberlain,” Purnell said. “I thought we were a little slow.”

For the second consecutive game, Virginia was pounded on the glass. The Cavs were outrebounded, 36-27.

“It was basically energy,” said Scott, repeating a tired old song. “They made a run, just like they did last time, but we couldn’t counter it like we did before.”

Dunks

Freshman center Assane Sene missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle. … Clemson senior Jesse Yanutola, a walk-on, made the first start of his career on Senior Night. The South Carolina native played one minute and did not score.