Jestin Porter Steals the Show as Clemson Basketball Tops Notre Dame

Any away win in conference play is crucial, and the Clemson Tigers pick up another with a win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, winning 76-61 in South Bend, Indiana.

Clemson (14-3, 4-0 ACC) extends its win streak to seven, setting them up to have a ranking in the AP Top 25 on Monday. The Tigers were led by Jestin Porter, who finished with a season-high 26 points in the win.

After the first 10 minutes of the game, head coach Brad Brownell and the team took the lead and never looked back. Porter caught fire at the end of the first half, finishing with 12 points in the first half to hold a five-point lead going into the break.

Porter’s performance allowed Clemson to have a 20-point scorer in two of the last three games. Before last weekend’s win over Pitt, the Tigers did not have a 20-point scorer all season. He would also finish with a career-high five steals, continuing to prove his worth on both sides of the ball.

Both teams relied on their starters in the win, which hasn’t been common with the way that Clemson has found its success this season. 68 of the 76 total points came from the starting five. Three starters finished in double-digits for the Tigers.

Despite being victorious, the team only finished the game by making seven threes. Clemson found its success from inside the arc, finishing the game shooting 26.9% from the field. It finished with 11 second-chance points in the win.

The Tigers haven’t had to win many games shooting well from the field, which is a credit to their defense. The team forced 14 turnovers from Notre Dame (10-6, 1-2 ACC) and only allowed six of its own.

On the other side, while the Irish shot over 40% from three, the opponent couldn’t compete with the intensity that Brownell’s defense brought.

RJ Godfrey finished with 16 points, while Carter Welling added 14 points and six rebounds of his own.

The win is the Tigers’ fourth-straight in the ACC, being at the top of the standings along with Duke. It is the first time in program history that the Tigers are 4-0 in back-to-back seasons to begin in the ACC.

Miami is the only other team that’s undefeated, but has only played three games in conference thus far. Clemson will see the Hurricanes next Saturday at home in what will look to be one of the most important matchups thus far for the Tigers.

Next up, Clemson will head back to Littlejohn Coliseum to continue ACC play. The Tigers will face Boston College on Tuesday night.