Brad Brownell summarized Clemson’s 73-68 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday rather quickly.

“It was a great road win for our team,” the Tigers’ head coach said.

The win was Clemson’s 10 consecutive road victory in the ACC, while the Tigers’ 2-0 start in conference play marked the first time in the program’s history it won its first two conference games on the road.

However, making history was not easy. It rarely is for Clemson.

Clemson (12-3, 2-0 ACC) found itself trailing the Panthers, 56-53, when Butta Johnson nailed a 3-pointer at the 8:46 mark that equalized the game. After the Johnson three, Jestin Porter stepped up and hit back-to-back threes that put the Tigers up for good, 62-58, with 6:00 to go.

“We were down three and that was a huge shot by Butta Johnson down in the corner to tie and kind of stem the run,” Brownell said. “Then it got our scoring back in the right direction. “It was kind of a game of runs by both teams, not long runs, kinda of short runs. Kind of 7-0, 9-2 runs, it just felt like that kind of game.

“Fortunately, we kind of ended the game right with us getting the last run.”

Porter played a huge role in the Tigers getting the win on Saturday. He scored a game-high 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting, including a 3-for-6 effort from downtown. He also made a layup and two free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

“We have been in that position a lot throughout the season this year,” Porter said. “We just sustained our offense and defense and got the win.”

Clemson also got 14 points apiece from R.J. Godfrey and Nick Davidson, while Johnson added 10 points off the bench. Davidson also came off the bench to score his 14 points.

Johnson was 3-for-5 from behind the arc.

The win on Saturday was also Clemson’s 14 straight over the Panthers (7-8, 0-2 ACC).

“Some of that is luck, it’s basketball, it’s…Virginia has had my number for many years,” Brownell said. “Sometimes there are teams, for whatever reason, good things seem to happen to you in that game.

“We have had so many close games with Pitt over the years and we have been fortunate to win most of the close ones here recently.”

The Tigers hope their luck continues on Wednesday night, when they host SMU in their ACC home opener. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m., at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson.

—photo by Charles LeClaire / Imagn Images