Pitt Falls Late to Clemson in ACC Home Opener

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers fought until the end with the Clemson Tigers, but couldn't come up with the win at the Petersen Events Center, falling 73-68.

The Panthers fall to 7-8 overall on the season and have lost 13 straight games to the Tigers dating back to 2015, making it 12 years since they last beat their ACC foe.

Pitt is now 0-2 in the ACC, as they also dropped a road contest to Miami, 76-69 on Dec. 30.

The Panthers are now below .500 for the first time since November 2022 and not above .500 at this part of the season for the first time since the 2021-22, when they finished 11-22 overall.

Pitt Takes Slim Lead at Halftime

Both teams battled hard in the first half, with neither team establishing a lead or a seriously long run throughout, with nine lead changes.

The Panthers relied on their veteran leaders in fifth year guard Damarco "Polo" Minor and senior forward Cameron Corhen.

Minor scored 12 points, with three 3-pointers and three free throws, while Corhen added 10 points himself, using the paint to his advantage.

Pitt Panthers Clemson Tigers Cameron Corhen — Jan 3, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Cameron Corhen (2) grabs a loose ball ahead of Clemson Tigers forward RJ Godfrey (0) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pitt would eventually end up with a 35-34 halftime lead, thanks to a late 3-pointer from Minor.

The Panthers shot efficiently in the first half, 50% from the field and 5-for-6, 83.3%, from 3-point range.

Tigers senior forward RJ Godfrey scored 10 points to lead the road team in the first half, while redshirt senior forward/center Nick Davidson added nine points and graduate student guard Jestin Porter scored eight points himself.

Pitt Falls Late On in Second Half

Pitt matched the first two Clemson baskets early on in the second half, but allowed an 8-0 run and fell behind 46-39 with 14:28 remaining. Clemson then kept that lead up at 51-45, with 12 minutes to go, as they remained in control early on.

Tigers senior guard Butta Johnson and Porter both made 3-pointers, while junior forward Carter Welling added three free throws.

The Panthers responded with an 11-2 run over the next three minutes, regaining the lead at 56-53. Freshman guard Omari Witherspoon and senior guard/forward Barry Dunning Jr. scored four points each on two baskets to give the home team the lead.

Pitt Panthers Barry Dunning Jr. Clemson Tigers — Jan 3, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard Barry Dunning Jr. (22) dunks the ball against the Clemson Tigers during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Clemson got the lead back from deep, with Porter making two 3-pointers and Johnson adding another, going up 62-58 at the six-minute mark.

The Panthers struggled late on offensively, missing opportunities to cut into the Tigers' lead and making poor decisions.

Witherspoon was the only player that made a field goal the final four minutes, with two layups and a mid-range jumper. He even completed an and-one opportunity, but only sophomore guard Brandin "Beebah" Cummings scored any other points, two free throws to cut the loss to just five points.

Clemson only had one field goal made in the final four minutes themselves on a layup from Porter. They scored six of their final eight points from the foul line, with Porter adding two more himself.

Players of the Game

Porter led the way for the Tigers with 21 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the field and made 3-pointers, with 13 of those points coming in the second half.

Clemson had 26 points off the bench, 24 coming from both Davidson, who scored 14 points, and Johnson, who added 10 points.

Godfrey also had a solid game for the Tigers, scoring 14 points, and Welling led with 10 rebounds.

Witherspoon scored all 14 of his points in the second half, keeping the Panthers in the game, as Corhen and Minor combined for just four points total after halftime.

Freshman forward Roman Siulepa ended up with 12 points and Dunning scored 10 points as well in the defeat for the Panthers.

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