CHARLOTTESVILLE — Malcolm Brogdon scored 20 points and Anthony Gill had two big baskets late as No. 13 Virginia squandered most of a 13-point lead and then held on to beat Clemson 69-62 on Tuesday night.
The Cavaliers (14-4, 3-3 ACC) led 52-39 after a 17-4 run with around nine minutes left, then saw the Tigers close within 55-53 with about 3:30 remaining. Gill scored on a putback after a miss by Brogdon, then took a feed from Brogdon moments later for a fast-break dunk that built the margin back up to 59-53.
The Tigers (12-7, 5-2 ACC), seeking their sixth consecutive victory and third over a ranked team, got back within 62-59 on a 3-pointer by Jordan Roper and three free throws by Jaron Blossomgame with 1:36 to play, but Brogdon made two free throws with 30.7 seconds for the Cavaliers.
Gill finished with 12 points despite foul trouble for Virginia while Devon Hall had 11 points and Isaiah Wilkins scored 10.
Blossomgame made four 3-pointers and scored 23 points for the Tigers and Landry Nnoko added 15 points.
The game was tied at 35 until Brogdon scored on a driving bank shot with 16 minutes to play. The shot sparked a 17-4 run that gave Virginia a 52-39 lead and twice brought the crowd at John Paul Jones Arena to its feet. The Cavaliers had lost three of their last four.
Devon Hall scored five points in the burst and Brogdon, Mike Tobey and Wilkins each had four, with the crowd especially appreciating a one-handed dunk by Tobey off a slick feed from Wilkins that pushed the lead to 50-39.
Virginia outscored Clemson, 13-8, over the last seven minutes of the first half and led, 31-28.
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