What Went Wrong in Clemson Basketball's Loss to Georgetown

Clemson men’s basketball nearly responded to a 19-point deficit in the second half, but couldn’t complete the comeback, falling to the Georgetown Hoyas 85-78 at home to suffer its first loss of the season.

Despite going into the break down 15, Clemson took a slim lead twice but couldn’t hold on, losing its toughest contest of the season so far, and one that the Tigers might want back come March.

It started in the first half down low, with the Tigers being unable to stop Georgetown big Vince Iwuchukwu. The USC and St. John’s transfer had 16 points and five rebounds in the first frame, and Clemson didn’t have a single answer in the first 20 minutes. The Hoyas even used a 20-2 run at one point in the game to lead by as much as 19.

Clemson did respond, though, using a flurry of threes from guards Ace Buckner and Notre Dame transfer Cole Certa. The two had a combined five three-pointers in the loss, being the two highest scorers on the team on Friday night. Both also had double-digit points in the second half to snatch the lead twice on the Hoyas.

On the other end, a familiar face, Pitt and Kentucky transfer Jaland Lowe, responded with threes on the other end, including a deep ball over Buckner to hit the dagger at the 1:14 mark of the second half to go up eight. After the game, head coach Brad Brownell spoke about the defensive issues that his team has faced all season.

“I think we’re just not as good as we need to be and we’re making too many errors, and I wouldn’t blame all of it on mental focus,” he said. “Some of it’s coaching.”

Clemson was outrebounded 33-27 in the win, and while it made its second half comeback down the stretch of the game, Georgetown elongated possessions with offensive rebounds and grabbing loose balls, slowing the Tigers’ tempo down to play the game to its style.

Even while Clemson shot 46% from three in the second half, several of the shots were forced, taking the air out of its late comeback.

“I would say that we had stretches where we didn’t play as well, which, again, some credit goes to Georgetown for that,” Brownell said. “They’ve got good coaches, and they game plan too.”

Before Clemson heads to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, the Tigers will look to tighten up defensively while continuing to click from beyond the arc. Brownell will see plenty of Power Six opponents, and with its first loss being the only Power Six team he’s played so far this season.

If that changes over the course of the season, he sees his group being in better hands.

“It’s our habits. It’s our daily habits. It’s taking things that we practice and making sure we execute them, it’s very much mental concentration [and] attention to detail,” Brownell said.

Clemson will be back in action on Monday at home against The Citadel. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from Littlejohn Coliseum.

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