CLEMSON — Clemson Basketball veterans and newcomers shined in the Tigers’ 88-62 win over Saint Francis at Littlejohn Coliseum Friday.

Tigers guard Chase Hunter set the tone early, knocking down the first six points of the matchup.

Hunter finished with 13 points and two assists. He finished his night on 5 of 10 shooting, including two from behind the arc. 

After the Tigers (2-0) secured a quick 10-2 lead in the first three minutes of play, largely thanks to Hunter, the Red Flash forced two quick turnovers and used the momentum to cut the lead 14-10 with 12:19 to go in the first period. 

Clemson ensured that Saint Francis never made it any closer. 

The Tigers went on a prompt 20-5 run to take the game out of question and assume a 41-20 lead at halftime. Six different Tigers scored in the decisive run, including two field goals from senior forward Ian Schieffelin and Jaeden Zackery.

Zackery, a graduate transfer from Boston College, made his mark as the Tigers’ leading scorer with 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting. The guard also added four of the 14 total assists and four steals. 

Additionally, head coach Brad Brownell was pleased with the defensive efforts of Zackery, as well as freshman guard Del Jones.

“Both of those guys play with great leverage,” Brownell said. “They’re strong, they get in great stances, they can both really put pressure on the ball.”

Schieffelin showed off his experience on both sides of the floor, notching a16-point, 13-rebound double-double. The 2024 Most Improved Player in the ACC also added two steals, the most of any Tiger. 

Schieffelin was not alone in scoring in the paint. Viktor Lakhin, a Cincinnati transfer, added 8 points on perfect 4-4 shooting as well as four rebounds of his own. Brownell called Lakin’s play “solid” after the win.

Clemson got it done on the defensive end of the floor as well, converting 15 turnovers from Saint Francis into 23 points. The Tigers secured 26 defensive rebounds to the Red Flash’s 16. 

The Tigers struggled at times to take care of the ball, however, giving up 16  turnovers throughout the game. The Red Flash was able to cut the lead 58-44 with 8:44 to go in the game after trailing by as many as 27 in the second half due to sloppiness from Clemson. 

It Was Over When

Quick threes from Zackery, Schieffelin, Jake Heidbreder, and Dillon Hunter put the game out of reach in response to the late run from Saint Francis. The Red Flash could never recover from the 12-point, three-minute run. 

“The biggest thing is we started to limit turnovers and that kind of led to those threes,” Zackery said. “We just get out in transition, drive, kick, find the open man. That helped us pull away a little bit more at the end.”

Injuries

Clemson’s Ace Buckner (OUT — upper body); Dallas Thomas (redshirt).

Up Next

The Tigers will host Eastern Kentucky Tuesday at 7 p.m.