Godfrey’s efforts not enough for the Tigers, who are now third in the ACC
Clemson (20-6, 10-3 ACC) falls to the Blue Devils (23-2, 12-1 ACC) 67-54 at Cameron Indoor.
The Tigers hung on in the first half, trailing 31-26 at the end of the period. They held Duke to their lowest first-half total of the season, but were unable to get it done on the offensive end. Clemson went 1/9 from three, including one possession that featured two offensive rebounds and three missed field goals. Along with shooting, ball movement was an issue in the first half. Clemson dished just four assists, while committing four turnovers.
The lone star of the half was RJ Godfrey, who shot from the post in each of the Tigers’ first four possessions. He started 1/2 and 4/4 from the line. RJ ended the half with a 10-4 and two blocks, and ended the day with a 10-8 and three blocks.
Duke erupted to start the second half, with a 21-7 run to stretch the lead to 52-31. Clemson continued to struggle on the field, while the Blue Devils got into rhythm quickly. They ride that momentum to the end, with one small run from Clemson being the exception. A four-minute scoring drought from the Blue Devils and a Dillon Hunter three-pointer at the buzzer allowed the Tigers to cover.
Cam Boozer ended the day with an 18-8-4 and three stocks. He’s averaging 23-10-4 this season, with nearly two steals per game. Isaiah Evans notched a 17-4 on 5/12 shooting. He averages a 14-3 this season.
For the Tigers, Carter Welling led the team in scoring, with a 12-5 on 4/7 shooting. Welling and Godfrey were the only two players for Clemson to score in double figures.
Clemson’s 54 points are the team’s lowest point total of the season. Duke’s 67 ties for their second-lowest total this season. The Tigers shot 35% from the field and 25% from three. They were outrebounded (37-32) and dished out fewer assists (15-10). They trailed by as much as twenty points late in the second half.
The loss breaks the Tigers’ 14-game ACC road win streak, the longest such streak in 25 years. They are now 4-62 at Cameron Indoor, losing 22 straight. Clemson now sits at third in the ACC, hoping to hold onto that double bye with both UNC and Louisville still on the schedule. They sit just a half game ahead of NC State, who have the head to head following a three point overtime win earlier this season. Miami sits at 8-3, with Clemson holding the head to head. UNC and Louisville both have just one more in conference loss than the Tigers this season, and will have the opportunity to jump Clemson in the standings following each of their respective head to head matchups. The Tigers are headed to Wake Forest for their second-to-last away game of the season on February 18th—tip-off scheduled for 7:00 EST.
