Clemson Drops Fourth Consecutive Game, Losing to Notre Dame 76-61

CLEMSON, S.C.- The losses continue to mount for the Tigers as Notre Dame defeated Clemson 76-61 in Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday. Brad Brownell's team has now dropped four straight and five of their past six.

The Fighting Irish (18-7, 11-3) came out firing on all cylinders, starting the game 9-12 from the floor and 5-7 from beyond the arc to race out to a 28-11 lead with 10:16 left in the first half. However, behind 10 first-half points from sophomore forward P.J. Hall, the Tigers (12-13, 4-10) were able to cut into the lead and trailed 38-28 at the break.

"Notre Dame played well tonight," Brownell said after the loss. "They make 13 three's, it's gonna be hard to beat them. We had a hard time when they got they got going early."

Throughout the second half, Clemson would continue to chip away, pulling to within 57-50 on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Hall with 8:25 to play. That was as close as the Tigers would get as Notre Dame senior Dane Goodwin scored the next five points, stretching the lead back to a dozen at 62-50 with 7:32 left.

"Notre Dame was ready," Brownell said. "I thought they had a good plan and you know, we got punched in the mouth. And right away, we're down double figures and it's hard. We could have caved, but I thought our kids fought and we battled back several times."

Clemson was without starters Hunter Tyson, who is out injured, and David Collins, who was serving a one game suspension for his ugly foul on Duke's Wendell Moore Jr. Thursday night.

In their absence, Hall had another big night for the Tigers, leading the team with 19 points while grabbing 7 rebounds and blocking one shot. Nick Honor added 12 points, while Naz Bohanon had 10.

The game marked the Tigers third in six days, with all three coming against some of the best teams in the ACC.

"I'm proud of our guys, I thought we we fought pretty hard," Brownell said. "You're playing three of the best teams in the league,"

Key Play: After the Tigers had pulled to within seven in the second half, Dane Goodwin promptly hit a jumper for Notre Dame that pushed the lead back to nine. After the Irish got a stop on the next possession, Goodwin pushed the ball up the floor, driving for a layup, and was found on the play. After hitting the free throw the lead was back to 12.

Player of the Game: Notre Dame's Blake Wesley led all scorers with 21 points, and was 5-6 from 3-point land. The Tigers just had no answer for the freshman guard.

Coaches Decision: Freshman Ian Schefflin made his second consecutive start, the first two of his career, and responded by pulling down 9 rebounds and scoring 6 points, on 3-5 shooting.

"He has a chance to be a good player," Brownell said. "He needs experience. He's getting it which is the best part of Hunter Tyson's injury. And you know, there's gonna be some learning curves there."

Stat of the Game: The Tigers once again struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 5-18 (28%) from 3-point land.

Up Next: The Tigers are right back at it on Tuesday night, as Clemson travels to Florida State for a 7 p.m. tipoff. It will be the team's fourth game in nine days.

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