For the Clemson faithful, the Palmetto Series isn’t just another non-conference game, it’s a measuring stick of the university’s achievements for the year as a whole. Just 17 days ago, Clemson’s football team marched into Columbia and silenced Williams-Brice Stadium with a gritty win, reclaiming momentum in the Palmetto State’s fiercest feud. On Tuesday night, […]
For the Clemson faithful, the Palmetto Series isn’t just another non-conference game, it’s a measuring stick of the university’s achievements for the year as a whole. Just 17 days ago, Clemson’s football team marched into Columbia and silenced Williams-Brice Stadium with a gritty win, reclaiming momentum in the Palmetto State’s fiercest feud. On Tuesday night, the Tigers doubled down, this time in the friendly confines of Littlejohn Coliseum, proving that whether it’s helmets or sneakers, they’re more than happy to keep the Gamecocks in their rearview mirror as the Tigers (9-3) overcame an early deficit and held off South Carolina (7-4) for a 68–61 victory.
First Half Surge
With a sellout crowd of 9,000 filling Littlejohn Coliseum with energy, Clemson somehow managed to come out with a dull thud. The Tigers tried to force the ball inside to RJ Godfrey early and after several missed layups and over 3 minutes of game time before the first Tiger basket, South Carolina had managed to jump out to a 12–5 lead behind Mike Sharavjamts’ 6 early points. Clemson responded with a decisive 17–3 run midway through the half, fueled by balanced scoring led by RJ Godfrey and Dillon Hunter to propel Clemson into a double digit lead and put the Gamecocks into danger of getting run out of the building early.
The Tigers first half offensive output was certainly a team effort as 8 different players found the scorers sheet, however, none of them had scored more than 4 points at the half. The Tigers carried a 34–27 lead into halftime in a game where the lead felt as if it should have been much larger. South Carolina finished the half shooting only 2-of-15 from beyond the arc, and Clemson was plus 15 in bench scoring, but managed to enter the locker room with only a 7-point lead. On top of the lack of separation, freshman guard Zac Foster came up lame after a drive to the basket, resulting in a lower-body injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the game.
Second Half Seesaw
Clemson managed to extend its lead after the break with Ace Buckner drilled a mid-range jumper and Carter Welling scored on consecutive possessions to push the margin back to double digits and a stingy defense would force South Carolina into continued long stretches without a field goal, however, the Tigers just weren’t able to put the Gamecocks away as the lead consistently would swing from 8 to 12 points, but never beyond. This was mainly a result of the Tigers poor free throw shooting, ending the night at 61% with 12 missed free throws.
With time winding down in the 2nd half, the free throw misses for the Tigers looked like it may catch up with them. With South Carolina leading scorer Meechie Johnson silent for most of the game, a driving layup and a pair of free throws cut the Tigers lead to seven points with just under six minutes remaining, and the crowd at Littlejohn Coliseum started to tense. However, each time the Gamecocks would threaten to cut the lead further into single digits, Ace Bucker would answer, hitting a driving layup and a floater in the lane to help put the game back out of reach with under 3 minutes remaining. Clemson would ride out the remainder of the game at the free throw line and leave with a 68-61 victory.
Top Producers
Freshman guard Ace Buckner stole the spotlight, scoring a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting. His poise and clutch driving layups steadied a Clemson team that seemed to be wavering whenever South Carolina threatened to close the gap. Buckner also added seven rebounds to round out his career best day.
Carter Welling chipped in 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting and was the only other Tiger in double figures, while controlling several minutes of the game in the paint, while getting South Carolina Center Elijah Strong to foul out of the game early.
Dillon Hunter orchestrated the offense with six assists, keeping Clemson’s attack balanced as the Tigers recorded 10 assists in total to only 8 turnovers.
Clemson’s bench outscored South Carolina’s reserves 41–14, a critical margin given the Tigers’ injury setbacks.
Defensive Edge and Gamecock Struggles
Clemson’s defense proved decisive, holding South Carolina to just 4-of-23 from beyond the arc and forcing 14 turnovers. The Tigers converted those mistakes into 16 points, consistently disrupting the Gamecocks’ rhythm.
Sharavjamts led South Carolina with 13 points, but the Gamecocks never found consistent scoring support. Leading scorer Meechie Johnson and Myles Stute were held in check, scoring 8 and 5 points respectively. Kobe Knox joined Sharavjjamts as the only Gamecocks in double figures with 13.
Clemson will close non-conference play against Cincinnati on December 21 in Greenville, while South Carolina looks to regroup before SEC competition begins. Be sure top sound off in the comments below and stay tuned to Shakin the Southland for more Clemson Basketball coverage.
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Category: General Sports
