A late 9 PM tip-off saved the best for last on Wednesday. Jake Wahlin helped Clemson open with a quick 9-4 lead with five points of his own, but SMU settled quickly and tied it up at 13-13. Clemson then went on a 12-0 run sparked by Carter Welling, who collected an offensive rebound and […]
A late 9 PM tip-off saved the best for last on Wednesday.
Jake Wahlin helped Clemson open with a quick 9-4 lead with five points of his own, but SMU settled quickly and tied it up at 13-13.
Clemson then went on a 12-0 run sparked by Carter Welling, who collected an offensive rebound and drew a foul on the ensuing layup for the 3-point play. A minute later he secured his second steal of the game and shifted momentum to Clemson for the rest of the first half.
Clemson was successfully being disruptive and preventing SMU from playing at the high-speed tempo their team prefers to operate at. Freshman Chase Thompson provided 7 points off the bench in the first half, including an emphatic dunk midway through that 12-point run.
The first half played out in a clear battle of identities, with Clemson’s strong defensive efforts winning out over SMU’s explosive offense. The Tigers took a 9-point lead into the half and held SMU to their lowest 1st-half point total of the season and zero fast-break points.
The Mustangs opened the second half much faster and pulled within 5, but back to back 3-pointers from Butta Johnson quickly put the Tigers back in control. Clemson would then maintain a 10-12 point lead for the next 10 minutes, responding confidently to seemingly every basket SMU made with a score of their own.
SMU would finally find its rhythm again and use an 11-2 run to bring the deficit back to a two-possession game. Boopie Miller started to work his magic, drawing foul after foul and draining numerous clutch shots, but the Tigers continued to fight back, never trailing in the game.
Clemson held Corey Washington to zero points before he fouled out with under 4 minutes to play, just days after he dropped 23 against UNC.
SMU would use its last timeout with 46 seconds to play trailing 4, but the ensuing possession would sputter out, giving Clemson its 13th victory of the season.
This is a great Quad 1 win, moving Clemson to 3-0 in conference play. Up next the Tigers will travel to Notre Dame on Saturday.
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Category: General Sports
