CLEMSON — Clemson was too much for Morehead State, as the Tigers cruised to an 83-56 win over the Eagles on Tuesday night inside Littlejohn Coliseum.

The victory gives Brad Brownell’s team a little revenge for Morehead State coming into Clemson back in 2023 and eliminating the Tigers in the first round of the NIT.

RJ Godfrey’s first double-double of the season helped pace the Tigers, with the senior finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Ace Buckner added 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, while Jake Wahlin finished with 14, hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Wahlin hit back-to-back three-point baskets after the opening tip to ignite a 20-5 run by the Tigers to start the contest. Clemson’s swarming defense helped limit the Eagles to 4-of-20 from the floor over the first 15 minutes of play, as the Tigers took a 39-20 lead into halftime.

Morehead State went on a small run to start the second half, cutting the lead to 15, but the Tigers scored the next five points to push the lead back out to 20, and Clemson never led by less than 15 points the rest of the way.

Battle On Boards

Brad Brownell is likely not to be pleased with his team’s rebounding in this one. Clemson got outworked on the boards, with Morehead State holding a 41-40 advantage. The Tigers were also beaten on the offensive glass 19-15. The Eagles had 19 second-chance points.

Perimeter Shooting

The Tigers’ long-distance shooting is what gave the team its early advantage and also what kept Morehead from making any kind of serious run in the second half. Clemson shot 37% from downtown, hitting on (11) almost twice as many three-point attempts (6) as the Eagles.

Turnovers

Clemson committed just nine turnovers through its first two games, and that trend continued on Tuesday night. The Tigers had just one turnover in the first half of action and 3 in the second, while forcing 11 Eagles’ turnovers. Clemson would turn those into 13 points.

Up Next

The Tigers will now prep for their first road trip of the season as Clemson will face off with Georgetown on Saturday in Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Tipoff is at noon, and the game will be streamed on Peacock TV.

Photo by Bart Boatwright