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Rex Brown

Clemson's K.C. Rivers (1) works for a rebound against Virginia at Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday in Clemson. Clemson defeated the Cavaliers 75-57.

CLEMSON — It wasn’t quite the senior night Clemson’s K.C. Rivers envisioned, but given the outcome of Tuesday night’s game against Virginia, he will take it.

Rivers scored just two points, was 1-of-7 from the field and injured his right elbow in his final game at Littlejohn Coliseum, but the most important number was the No. 18 Tigers 75-57 victory.

“That was fine,” Rivers said, smiling following the game. “I’m sixth all-time in scoring. I’m fine, like I said to the crowd; we have plenty of more games to play. Every game is not going to be pretty and every game is not going to be your best.

“As long as you are out there giving it your all, that is all that matters.”

After a sputtering first half in which the lead changed hands seven times, the Tigers gave it their all in a second half in which they outscored Virginia 43-26.

“I was pleased with our second-half performance,” Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. “We had 10 turnovers in the first half and corrected that and only had five in the second. We were able to win the rebounding battle and play sticky defense.

“Sometimes senior night can be hard emotionally, and those emotions can slow you down. I thought in the beginning we were slow, but the emotions took over and gave us intensity in the second.”

After Calvin Baker sank a jump shot from the right corner to start the second half to give the Cavaliers a one-point lead, Clemson (23-6, 9-6 ACC) went on a 20-2 run over the next eight minutes to build a 52-35 advantage and never looked back.

“This is a game that can get us back on track,” Clemson forward Trevor Booker said. “We lost a couple of games that I felt we should have won, but we played hard tonight and hopefully we will get back on track with this win.”

With Rivers having one of the worst nights of his career, the Tigers found some production from another senior as Raymond Sykes scored 14 and grabbed five rebounds to go along with two blocks and two steals. Clemson also got 18 points from Terrence Oglesby and 13 points and 15 rebounds from Booker.

“Ray played great tonight,” Booker said. “He finished around the basket and knocked down his free throws. He came out with a lot of energy and that is what we needed from him.”

Sykes’ energy and impressive dunk with 15:35 to play sparked the Tigers’ second-half run. Booker and Jerai Grant also got in the dunk-fest as Clemson had six in the game, including five in the second half.

“When we get the ball down low and the opportunity is there, we are going to try and dunk it,” Booker said.

Things looked like Clemson’s trip to Charlottesville, Va., last month in the first half. Baker scored 12 of his team-high 18 points in the opening 20 minutes as the Cavaliers led for the first eight minutes of the game. Clemson rallied for a 13-0 run to take a 22-13 lead as Oglesby hit a three from the wing, made a layup and two technical foul shots during the run.

Oglesby actually finished the night 6-for-6 in technical foul shots as Virginia was called for three overall. The sophomore was 10-of-10 from the foul line and Clemson was 19-of-25 as a team for the game.

“I think (Virginia) lost their cool a little bit, and then I ended up knocking them down,” Oglesby said. “What can you say? I think we frustrated them with our press a little bit. You know they are a young team, so I think a lot of things built up on them.”

The build-up never came for Rivers, however, as he ended his career at Clemson thanking the crowd for the last four seasons and for being with him on a night when offensively he wasn’t his best. Defensively, despite the sore elbow, he held Virginia’s top scorer, Sylven Landesberg, to three points on 0-for-7 shooting and three turnovers.

“It is not all about scoring,” he said. “Did you not think I was out there all the time? Landesberg did not score. The majority of the time I was on him. The things you look at and what I have done here, I have done some great things and it was not all scoring.”

And the greatest thing was getting his 91st career win.

“He went out as a winner,” Purnell said. “He has won more games than any other player and I think that is more significant.”