CLEMSON — The Clemson Men’s Basketball team made fairly quick work of New Hampshire with the Tigers cruising to a 88-38 season-opening win over the Wildcats on Monday in Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Wildcats had trouble shooting the ball from beginning to end, hitting on just 25% from the field, as the Tigers’ defense was extremely effective. The perimeter shooting was even worse, with New Hampshire shooting a paltry 15% from beyond the arc.
The Tigers shot 51% from the floor and 32% from behind the three-point line.
Clemson also owned the glass, outrebounding the Wildcats 45-30. New Hampshire did win the battle on the offensive glass, 8-7.
RJ Godfrey helped pace the Tigers, finishing just shy of a double-double. The senior scored nine points while pulling down nine rebounds. He also dished out three assists.
Ace Buckner had a team-high 18 points on 5-of-6 shooting, with two rebounds and two assists. Buckner was also 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Jake Wahlin had 11 points while tallying four boards. He was 2-of-2 from three-point land.
Nick Davidson added 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, while also pulling down five rebounds. Carter Welling also finished with 10 points and three rebounds, while adding two assists.
Dillon Hunter kick-started the scoring with a three-pointer on the second possession of the game, sparking the Tigers to a 16-4 run to start the contest, as Clemson would hit on six of their first 10 shots from the floor. Hunter finished with seven points but struggled shooting, finishing 1-of-5 from deep.
Led by Wahlin and Davidson, who combined for 16 points in the opening half, the Tigers took a commanding 43-16 lead into the break.
Clemson Owned the Paint
The Wildcats just did not match up very well from a size standpoint, and the numbers from down low bear that out as Clemson outscored New Hampshire 38-18 in the paint.
Buckner Poised for Breakout Season?
The son of former Clemson standout Greg Buckner looked every bit the part in this one. He really got it going in the second half when he scored 11 of his 15 points. Buckner really has a nose for getting to the basket.
Free Throws
Clemson shot an eye-popping 25 free throws in the first half of action, but hit on just 16 of those attempts. Carter Welling struggled in particular, hitting on just 2-of-6. The Tigers did finish the night 30-of-41.
Sharing the Wealth
The Tigers had 13 assists in the contest, with Godfrey and Porter turning in a team-high three. Buckner and Welling had two each.
Up Next
Clemson will host Gardner-Webb on Friday night, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ACCNX.
Photo by Bart Boatwright