Mike Scott makes Tigers pay in UVA's comeback win

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — – Monday afternoon, Clemson senior guard/forward Tanner Smith called Virginia senior forward Mike Scott the ACC’s best player.

Tuesday, Scott showed him why.

The Cavaliers’ star was a difference-maker all over the court, scoring 23 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, making three blocks and a steal in No.16 Virginia’s 65-61 comeback win over Clemson at John Paul Jones Arena. It was his sixth double-double of the season, eighth consecutive double-figure scoring game and the third 23-point effort in his last eight games.

“You saw tonight, the only thing he can’t do is consistently make a half-court shot. I think that’s about it,” Smith said. “He’s a great player, very active, unselfish, but demands the ball at big times. He did that tonight for them, and I thought we did what we wanted to do. He made some shots. Sometimes you’ve got to live with that in a good player.”

Scott made them all over the court. With Clemson using 7-foot-2 senior center Catalin Baciu and 6-8 junior forward Devin Booker to clog the lane, the Tigers forced him outside – and he responded.

Most of Scott’s makes were from 15-20 feet, and he even made seven of eight free throws, including the final four to ice the win.

“He made some at the beginning, he continued to make some and we had guys close out. With him, it’s pick-your-poison,” Smith said. “We figured the farther away he is, the lesser the percentages are, but he made some good shots tonight.”

“We got him good looks and I like him to post up and score,” said UVA coach Tony Bennett. “But his versatility is what makes him so effective with that perimeter shot. We’ve got to spread and stretch people out, and get people cutting at the right time when they come after him.”

Sapp gets the start: Freshman guard T.J. Sapp started Tuesday in place of junior forward Milton Jennings. Jennings didn’t make the trip to Charlottesville with Clemson after being suspended indefinitely “for failure to comply with the team’s academic standards.”

Jennings had made 15 starts this season, averaging 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. It is his second suspension of the season, following a one-game suspension for an on-court argument with coach Brad Brownell and an assistant during Hawaii’s Diamond Head Classic.

It was Sapp’s ninth start of the season; he entered averaging 4.7 points in 19.4 minutes per game. He entered in a deep shooting slump, having scored just two points over his last four games while making just one of 15 shots and all eight 3-pointers he’d attempted.

He started slow, missing both first-half shots he took while picking up two fouls.

When he canned a 3-pointer with 6:29 left, it was his first successful outside shot since Jan. 12 at Boston college.

Jennings’ absence was felt on the glass. Virginia outrebounded Clemson 34-19, although Brownell attributed that more to the Cavaliers’ hot shooting (55.8 percent) than poor board work.

“We had six offensive rebounds and 13 defensive – 70 percent defensive, most coaches would live with something like that,” he said. “They got a lot of defensive rebounds (27). It’s hard to get second shots against them.”

Hitting the road: Clemson played four of its first six ACC games at home, and Tuesday began a stark shift in the Tigers’ schedule. They’ll play five of their next seven away from Littlejohn Coliseum’s cozy confines, continuing with Saturday’s 4 p.m. trip to Virginia Tech.

Spills in the ‘Ville: Tuesday’s loss left Clemson with just five wins since 1978 against Virginia in Charlottesville. The Tigers are now 1-3 in John Paul Jones Arena, which opened for the 2006-07 season. They were 4-24 in their final 28 games at University Hall, the Cavaliers’ former home.

McDaniels returns: Freshman guard K.J. McDaniels returned to the rotation Tuesday after missing last Saturday’s win over Wake Forest with an ankle issue. He finished with four points in eight minutes.