Virginia Tech (20-8, 9-6 ACC) moved into a fourth-place tie in the league standings with Clemson and N.C. State, enhancing its chances of advancing to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year.

The Hokies, who have won seven of their past nine games, are 13-3 at home this season.

Virginia Tech has won four in a row against Clemson and leads the all-time series, 19-15.

Clemson (20-7, 9-6) lost a third straight game for the first time this season.

The Tigers were playing their second consecutive game without starting point guard Shelton Mitchell, who sustained a concussion in a loss at Florida State on Feb. 14. He is expected to return to action Saturday when Clemson plays host to Georgia Tech.

Clemson junior guard Marcquise Reed scored a career-high 28 points and made 8 of 18 3-point shots, tying the school's single-game record for 3-pointers. He added 10 rebounds.

Tigers junior center Elijah Thomas had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double this season.

The game was close throughout the first half. Robinson scored nine points in the first half to provide the Hokies with a 26-25 halftime edge, but Clemson rallied to take its biggest lead of the game at 38-34 with 13:45 remaining.

Virginia Tech then went on a 10-0 run to take the lead for good, pushing its advantage to as many as 14 points at 59-45 with 2:32 remaining.

The game was the first of a three-game homestand for Virginia Tech that will continue with games against Louisville on Saturday and Duke on Monday.

Clemson, which is seeking its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2011, has just three regular-season games remaining, including two at home. After the Saturday game vs. Georgia Tech, the Tigers play host to Florida State on Feb. 28 before wrapping up ACC play at Syracuse on March 3.

--Field Level Media