Elder leads Tech to win over Clemson

CLEMSON (AP) — How excited was Georgia Tech to have B.J. Elder back?

‘‘I couldn’t sleep last night, that’s how nice it was,’’ Yellow Jackets coach Paul Hewitt said, smiling. ‘‘Like the night before Christmas morning.’’

Elder returned to action with 11 points, including the 3-pointer that put Georgia Tech ahead for good, in a 70-62 victory over Clemson on Tuesday night.

Elder, the team’s leading scorer, had missed all nine of Georgia Tech’s Atlantic Coast Conference games since straining his left hamstring in a loss to Kansas on New Year’s Day. Maybe that’s why Tech (14-7, 5-5), the national runner up a year ago, slid from the top 10 when Elder was injured to outside the rankings this week after losing five of its past nine games.

Once Elder found his footing after a so-so first half, he proved exactly what the Yellow Jackets were missing.

Trailing 52-50, Elder took a pass deep in the left corner and nailed his only three of the game. Isma’il Muhammad followed with an inside basket, then Elder took control again, hitting a short leaner and finishing a crisp drive to the hoop for an easy two to put Georgia Tech up 59-54.

At the next time out, Elder’s teammates rushed to midcourt to bump chests with their star as Georgia Tech fans behind the bench cheered loudly.

‘‘It took me a little minute to get back into the flow of things, but it felt good to be back out there,’’ Elder said.

Just as important — his left hamstring felt fine, albeit a bit tired at the end.

Hewitt said with Elder going full speed at practice on Monday, the Yellow Jackets passes became sharper, their play more polished.

Hewitt knew when Elder felt like himself, his play would pick up as it did in the second half. ‘‘Just give him space and let him work,’’ Hewitt said.

Elder closed his scoring with a pair of foul shots and the Yellow Jackets won their fourth straight over Clemson (11-11, 2-8).

Sharrod Ford, the Tigers top scorer who came in with three straight double-doubles, was held to 3 points — 12 fewer than his average — on 1 of 5 shooting and no rebounds.

Hewitt said Ford’s performance was a combination of an off night and the inside presence of 7-foot-1 center Luke Schenscher. ‘‘Luke’s size has given people problems before,’’ he said.

The Tigers only field goal during a six-minute stretch late in the game came on Olu Babalola’s 3-pointer with 1:17 to go. But by then, Elder and the Jackets were ahead 67-59 and had things well in hand.

‘‘The second half we went in a scoring drought we could not find a way to get the ball in the middle,’’ Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. ‘‘Their inside guys would form a triangle around Sharrod.’’

Jarrett Jack had 16 points to lead Georgia Tech, while Will Bynum and Muhammad 13 points apiece.

Babalola had 12 points, tops on the Tigers.

Early on, things didn’t look so rosy for Georgia Tech, even with Elder back in action. He played tentatively, missing three of his four shots and committing two turnovers in the opening period.

The Yellow Jackets were just as off, turning the ball over turned the ball over on six straight possessions during one stretch of the half and finished with 14 turnovers.

Clemson, meanwhile, caught fire. The Tigers started 4 of 15 from the field, but finished making 11 of their last 15 shots to take a 35-27 lead at the break.

With Elder back on the court, though, Georgia Tech might again look like the team that lost the NCAA tournament final to Connecticut.

‘‘We got everybody back and everybody healthy,’’ Elder said. ‘‘We definitely feel we can make a run at it.’’