Clemson Basketball Defends Hearts Out in Opening Night Rout of New Hampshire

Throughout the offseason, many national and regional pundits questioned the Clemson Tigers and head coach Brad Brownell. After losing 13 players to graduation or the transfer portal (including all five starters), there was concern that the Tigers might struggle to regain their lofty spot in the ACC.

One game in, those concerns may not be warranted after a dominant win.

Clemson wasted no time setting the tone defensively, opening their season with an 88-38 blowout of lowly New Hampshire at Littlejohn Coliseum on Monday night. The Tigers forced 13 turnovers, scored 20 points off of them, and limited the Wildcats to a dismal 25% shooting from the field.

“I’m really pleased with the defensive execution of our gameplan,” Brownell said postgame. “Our staff was on point with that, and I give our guys a lot of credit for executing that part of the gameplan.”

From the opening minutes of the game, the Tigers brought the fight to New Hampshire. They quickly built a 16-4 lead by the second media timeout, and never looked back.

Senior forward RJ Godfrey starred in the win, scoring nine points, grabbing nine rebounds, and dishing out three assists. After the win, he echoed Brownell’s sentiment about the team’s defensive effort.

HE'S BACKKKKKKKKKK @godfrey_rj 🔥

Ace Buckner on the assist👀

📺ACCNX pic.twitter.com/CHSYx7TWWE
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) November 4, 2025

“We disrupted the ball well,” Godfrey said. “But we still have work to do. [Coach] Brownell’s going to be on us with film. It was a good night on the defensive end.”

Clemson’s depth was also on full display. Brownell turned to 12 different players, including three true freshmen. Highly-touted forward Zac Foster swatted away a pair of New Hampshire shots to go along with six points and six rebounds. Redshirt freshman Ace Buckner led the team in scoring with 18 in his first collegiate game.

Fire us up, Zac🔥

📺ACCNX pic.twitter.com/F56w0fmLHv
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) November 4, 2025

“I was very excited [to play tonight],” Buckner said postgame. “Last year was long. I was happy to see my guys win and be a part of that.”

Buckner was forced to redshirt last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. When asked what he learned from that time away from the court, he described himself as “a worker.”

“I just stayed in the gym,” Buckner said. “And I was ready to play. I feel like I showed that tonight.”

Clemson takes the court for their second game of the season on Friday night when Gardner-Webb comes to Littlejohn Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. in Clemson. The Runnin’ Bulldogs dropped their season opener by an 87-60 score at Minnesota on Monday night.

Notes: Clemson improves to 1-0 on the season and earned its first win as a program against New Hampshire … the Tigers improved to 15-1 in season openers under Head Coach Brad Brownell … the Tigers are 40-1 in their last 41 season openers dating back to 1985-86 … Clemson is now 3-0 all-time against members of the America East Conference … Brownell won his 293rd game at Clemson and 460th overall in his career … Brownell defeated his 147th uniquely different opponent … Ace Buckner scored 18 points in his debut (eight more than his father, Greg Buckner, in his debut in 1994) … 12 different players saw the court on Monday and 11 played double-digit minutes … Clemson attempted 41 free throw attempts – the most since 44 against Louisville on Jan. 10, 2016 … the 38 points allowed were the fewest allowed in a season opener since a 58-30 win over Erskine on Dec. 11, 1946 … the 50-point margin of victory was the largest in a season opener since a 105-55 win over Wagner on Nov. 26, 1983.