CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson University men’s basketball held #24 SMU to 21 points under its season average in a 74-70 victory on Wednesday night in Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson limited SMU to just 19 made field goals and forced 13 turnovers.
The Tigers (13-3, 3-0 ACC) were able to find the bottom of the net early and often as they jumped out to a nine-point lead after the opening stanza. Jake Wahlin (Provo, Utah/Timpview/Utah) secured a team-high 8 rebounds. Two Tigers reached double figures during the contest. RJ Godfrey (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett/Georgia) did so for the 12th time this season and finished with 17 points. Dillon Hunter (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) had 10 points and 4 assists while anchoring the backcourt in a team-high 35 minutes.
Chase Thompson (Glenwood, Minn./Alexandria Area) helped spark the team off the bench, tying his season-high of seven points. Jestin Porter (Houston, Texas/Cypress Ridge/Middle Tennessee State) led the defensive unit with four steals and one block. His four steals tied a career high. Carter Welling (Draper, Utah/Corner Canyon/Utah Valley) tied for the lead in the assists column with 4 and added 6 points to help Clemson secure the victory.
Clemson pushed its lead to a game-high 15 points at 62-47 with 7:05 left in regulation. The Mustangs finished 18-for-21 from the free throw line in the second half to close the gap, but Clemson’s defense held strong, limiting the Mustangs to just 37.3 percent shooting for the game. SMU finished just 6-for-17 from three.
SMU battled back and came within 5 points, 68-63, with just under three minutes left in the second half, but Butta Johnson (Huntsville, Ala./Grissom/UAB) sank a key 3-pointer to lift the Tigers past the Mustangs for the third consecutive time in series history. Johnson finished with nine points. Nick Davidson (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mater Dei) also aided the Tiger victory with stellar post defense, nine points and four rebounds.
Clemson returns to the court on Jan. 10 when it travels to Notre Dame. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN2.
