CLEMSON – Chicken soup cures a mid-November cold, a concession stand pretzel cures hunger during basketball season, and a blowout win at home cures any lingering ill feelings after a tough Power Conference loss.

After the Clemson Tigers lost a back-and-forth affair on the road to the Georgetown Hoyas Saturday, a 76-59 win over the University of North Alabama Lions dismantled any residual disappointment at Littlejohn Coliseum Monday night.

After a quick three-pointer from the Lions (2-3) to open all scoring, the Tigers (4-1) did not take long to make their presence known, entering a 17-4 run in the first seven minutes of action, in a similar fashion to Clemson’s first three dominant wins. 

Tiger forward R.J. Godfrey led the early-game surge with ten first half points and four rebounds off the bench, after notching only three points and one rebound against the Hoyas. Freshman guard Zac Foster also helped the Lions feel the heat from beyond the arc, knocking down three first-half triples on perfect shooting.

In his first start in an orange and purple uniform, redshirt freshman Ace Buckner, a guard from Dallas, Texas, knocked down a first-half triple and two free throws, along with two steals and two assists, to take a double-digit lead early.

The Tigers notched 29 bench points in the first half to the Lions’ two, and picked up 12 second-chance points, thanks in part to center Carter Welling’s three early offensive rebounds. Thanks to bench and glass dominance, the Tigers glided to halftime with a comfortable 45-22 lead.

After the break, the Tigers struggled to stay hot from the floor, after turning the ball over on several possessions with sloppy passes and mishandles. The Lions, fueled by a 7-0 run with eight minutes to play, cut the lead to 15 points, the lowest since the five-minute mark in the first half.

After turning the ball over only three times in the first 20 minutes, UNA forced seven Tiger turnovers in the first 15 minutes of the second period. Following a two-minute scoreless spell, a defensive rebound and baseball pass down the court to Welling for a fast-break dunk gave Clemson some coveted momentum, and a 66-52 lead.

Despite six second-half dunks, including Welling’s, the Tigers struggled to shoot in the second half, finishing only 35.7 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from beyond the arc, after shooting almost 40% in the first half. The Lions finished with 13 points on 12 Clemson turnovers, while head coach Brad Brownell’s squad only put up six points on turnovers.

Still, Clemson out-rebounded the Lions 44-to-29 in all, and claimed 44 bench points to the Lions’ 19, eventually separating the bigger Tigers team from the Lions for the final double-digit victory.

Godfrey finished as the Tigers leading scorer off the bench with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, and a 4-for-4 record at the free throw line. Welling finished with 13 points, 4-of-6 from the field, and a near-perfect 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

Guards Dillon Hunter and Wahlin each knocked down two three-pointers, while Wahlin, a Provo, Utah, native, led all Tigers with 11 rebounds. Godfrey and Welling each finished with two blocks, while the Tigers finished with 18 assists to the Lions’ 11.

Next Up

The Tigers will have their next chance to best a Power Conference opponent when they take on the West Virginia Mountaineers (5-0) at T.D. Arena in the first game of the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic Friday. Tip is set for 6:30 p.m. and coverage will be shown on ESPN.