Clemson (21-8, 11-5 ACC) took down Louisville (20-9, 9-7 ACC) 80-75 in a Saturday afternoon matchup in LittleJohn.
Clemson started off with one of their strongest halves of the season, entering the game with a chip on their shoulder following four straight losses. They led 38-35, shooting 48% from the field. They shot 2/8 from three, continuing a trend of poor perimeter shooting. The half was led by efforts from RJ Godfrey, with a 9-3, shooting 2/4 from the field and 5/6 from the free throw line. He finished with a 13-7, shooting 3/7 from the field.
In the second half, LittleJohn was as energetic as they’ve been all season. Clemson opened with a pair of three pointers to stretch the lead to seven, and carried that momentum for the rest of the afternoon. A 13-4 run towards the end of the match brought their lead to 15, where they were able to hold on for the remainder of the game.
The poor outside shooting did not carry over to the second half, as Clemson was lethal from beyond the arc. A pair of three’s helped the Tigers stretch the lead to seven, and a couple Jestin Porter shots from beyond the arc took the roof off in LittleJohn, propelling a 13-4 run in the middle of the second half. Clemson was able to stretch the lead to 15, and held on for the remainder of the game.
Porter was the star of the game, with 16 points on 6/10 shooting. He went 4/8 from three, leading an impressive 38% beyond the arc from Clemson. Along with his scoring, Porter dished three assists and notched three steals as well. Ace Buckner scored in double figures as well, with an 11-8 on 2/4 shooting.
As a team, Clemson shot incredibly. 49% from the field, and 38% from three after starting so poorly in the first half seriously helped the Tigers get the ranked win.
The win snaps the Tigers four game losing streak, with a crucial win to help keep them in tournament contention. With just two games left in the regular season, and one crucial matchup against UNC on Tuesday, it’s apparent that Clemson can carry this momentum into the coming weeks.
As previously mentioned, Clemson is heading to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina on Tuesday, March 3rd. They’ll wrap up the regular season at home against Georgia Tech on Saturday, March 7th.
