NC State Snaps Clemson Basketball's Win Streak, Defeat Tigers in Overtime

No. 18 Clemson basketball picked up an overtime loss on Tuesday night, losing 80-76 to NC State to pick up its first home loss of the season.

The homecoming for NC State (13-6, 4-2 ACC) head coach, and former Clemson graduate assistant, Will Wade, ends in an overtime win against his former alma mater, being his first win against the Tigers since the McNeese State win in the NCAA Tournament last March.

Clemson (16-4, 6-1 ACC) forced its way all the way back from a double-digit first half deficit, but was unable to force its way back into the game for a strong lead. Poor free-throw shooting down the stretch, when the Tigers shot 62.5% from the line, halted the comeback from occurring.

At the 1:12 mark in the second half, RJ Godfrey took contact from a NC State defender and put in the go-ahead basket. The Tigers had their first lead since the 11:30 mark of the first half, using a 7-0 and forcing a five-minute Wolfpack stretch without a field goal to steal the lead away from the in-conference rival.

Down on the other end, NC State’s Darrion Williams tied the game with a pair of free throws. Both teams would be unable to finish on chances, going into overtime, Clemson’s second of the season.

Clemson was in deep water heading into the middle of the first half. The Tigers were playing out of rhythm, giving up six turnovers in six minutes and allowed the Wolfpack to form a 12-2 run for over four minutes. Brownell’s team would also miss its next five threes after opening the game hot from deep.

The Wolfpack grew a lead that went into double-digits. Fortunately, following the scoring drought, things began to turn in the right direction for the home team. Clemson would cut it to five before the end of the half.

While the Tigers trailed in the second half, the team had multiple chances to cut the Wolfpack's lead. A reckless turnover, shot or foul would continue to put the game at a constant two-score contest. That was until the three-minute mark, when Clemson finally broke through.

The Tigers scored 18 of their first-half points within the first six minutes of the contest. The last 15 points were scattered among the final 14 minutes of the half, being unable to use the tempo they entered the game with.

With the loss, Clemson snaps a nine-game winning streak and its perfect ACC record, moving to 6-1. The Tigers will look to get back on track this weekend with another in-conference contest.

Godfrey led the Tigers with 16 points, nine of those coming in the second half and overtime. Welling added 14 points and nine rebounds of his own, while Ace Buckner recorded 12 points off the bench.

Four scorers for the Wolfpack entered double digits on Tuesday night. Ven-Allen Lubin led all scorers with 22 points and six rebounds. NC State forced 13 Clemson turnovers in the win.

Next up, the Tigers will travel down the road to Atlanta to play the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at noon from the McCamish Pavilion.