Clemson Basketball Survives in Greenville, Defeats Cincinnati in Nail-Biter

The Clemson men’s basketball team would go all the way until the final buzzer, surviving the Cincinnati Bearcats by a score of 68-65 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

The Tigers (10-3) opened the game with a 14-0 run in the first six minutes of the game, growing a lead as much as 27 with three minutes to go in the first half, winning 38-11 while playing stellar defense.

Going into the tunnel, they led by 20. Then, Cincinnati responded.

In the second half, the narrative flipped. The Bearcats would cut the double-digit lead into single digits when possessions became more valuable. Cincinnati shot 58.3% from deep to respond, using the long ball to get itself back into the game to make it a contest.

Wes Miller’s group got as much as a point behind the Tigers before Clemson was able to pull out a close, physical win with free throws. Cincinnati guard Day Day Thomas would miss the potential game-tying shot as time expired to give Clemson its 10th win of the season.

The Tigers were beaten on the glass, especially in the second half, losing 36-27 to the Bearcats in that category, which hurt them down the stretch.

Head coach Brad Brownell’s team forced eight turnovers in the first half, scoring 11 off of them while shooting 57.15% from three-point range. Starting guard Jestin Porter scored three for nine total points, while big man Carter Welling added two threes of his own in the half.

It wasn’t always going to be that easy for the Tigers, as the Bearcats stormed back in the second frame to keep the game contested. Cincinnati forced a three-and-a-half-minute scoreless drought to score 12 unanswered points, leading by as little as eight.

Five players entered double digits in the win for Clemson, with two doing it from off the bench. Welling finished with 12, and Porter added 11 of his own. Dillon Hunter and RJ Godfrey added 10 points each to pull out a win.

Ace Buckner finished with 12 of his own off the bench in 27 minutes, while Nick Davidson recorded 10 points and four rebounds.

The win concludes non-conference play for the Tigers, with three losses against valuable opponents, Georgetown, Alabama and BYU, respectively. Brownell will look to bring his team back into two complete halves of basketball, allowing the Bearcats to get back into it on Sunday in the second frame.

Clemson’s win brings momentum going into ACC play, but it will have a 10-day break through Christmas to recover from the hectic schedule. The Tigers will travel to Syracuse to face the Orange on Dec. 31 at the JMA Wireless Dome next.