TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Clemson came to Tuscaloosa, Ala., Wednesday night with one goal in mind.
Beat No. 12 Alabama in the ACC-SEC Challenge. With the exception of the first eight minutes of the game, the Tigers did exactly that, however, the first eight minutes count too, as it was enough to get the Crimson Tide over the top in a 90-84 victory over the Tigers at Coleman Coliseum.
“This is not a good try. We are not here for good tries, and we have to do better,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. “We did not start the game the right way.”
Alabama (6-2) made six of its first seven 3-pointers and led by as many as 19 points twice in the first half.
“We were on our heels and, obviously, when they come out and make their first six threes or whatever it was, that is not normal,” Brownell said.
That’s exactly what Brownell told his team early on, as the Tigers tried to stay within striking distance before halftime.
It’s not the first time this year Clemson rallied after falling behind early. Georgia was up 10 points on the Tigers twice in the first half before Clemson rallied for an overtime victory to win the Charleston Classic on Nov. 23.
Clemson (7-2) opened the second half on Wednesday by making its first three shots to set the tempo and then, with under 14 minutes to play, they went on a 12-1 run to cut the Bama lead to two points, 50-48.
“I am proud of our ability to fight and still believe and give ourselves chances and not go away. Tonight, could have been a game when you go away. It could have been bad if we did not rally,” Brownell said.
The reason the Tigers did not go away was due to the way they attacked Alabama offensively. Clemson packed the ball inside in the second half.
Dillon Hunter made several floaters in the lane as part of his 13 points and 4 assists, while R.J. Godfrey connected on 6 of 10 shooting and 7 of 9 foul shots for a team-high 19 points.
Freshman Zac Foster added 12 points, including a thunderous dunk in the second half, while Nick Davidson and Jake Wahlin added 11 points each.
Clemson scored 50 points in the paint, including 32 of those 50 points in the last 20 minutes. The Tigers outscored Alabama 18-5 in the first six minutes of the second half.
“I thought our coaching staff did a good job on the bench, not only trying everybody but sending messages that this is unacceptable,” Brownell said. “We got it figured out at halftime, and our guys did what we came here to do and gave ourselves a chance to win a very difficult game against a really good team. I am disappointed we got to a point where we could win it, and we did not finish.”
