Jaeden Zackery returns to BC and scores 21 to lead No. 11 Clemson to 78-69 win

BOSTON -- — Jaeden Zackery returned to Chestnut Hill and scored 21 points against his former team, hitting a key 3-pointer after Boston College cut a 16-point deficit to two and leading No. 11 Clemson to a 78-69 victory Wednesday night.

Chase Hunter added 18 points and Viktor Lakhin scored 11 with 13 rebounds to help the Tigers (25-5, 17-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) win their seventh straight game.

Jayden Hastings scored 18 for Boston College (12-18, 4-15).

Clemson led by 16 in the first half and still held a 62-53 edge midway through the second before BC scored seven straight points to make it a two-point game. But then Lakhin muscled one in underneath and Zackery hit a corner 3 to extend the lead to seven.

Takeaways

Clemson: The Tigers have only lost twice in regulation all season. Their lone loss in the last two months was a triple-overtime defeat against Georgia Tech.

Boston College: The Eagles have clinched one of the bottom three spots in the ACC and won’t be going to the conference tournament.

Key moment

Zackery, who averaged just under 11 points per game in three seasons at BC before entering the transfer portal last offseason, gave former coach Earl Grant a big hug before the game.

Key stat

Clemson was 6 of 10 from 3-point range in the first half and 2 for 10 in the second.

Up next

Clemson hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday to finish the regular season, and BC wraps it up at Pittsburgh.

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