CHARLOTTE — Clemson started hot and never looked back as the fifth-seeded Tigers rolled past No. 13 seed Wake Forest 71-62 on Wednesday night at the Spectrum Center in the second round of the ACC Tournament.
After taking an 18-point lead into halftime, the Demon Deacons trimmed the lead to 63-53. Three times, RJ Godfrey went to the free-throw line to shoot a one-and-one, and all three times the veteran missed the front end. By the two-minute mark, Wake had cut the lead to eight at 63-55.
Ace Buckner’s driving layup with just over a minute to go pushed the lead back out to 10 and helped seal the win. Dillon Hunter and Butta Johnson drilled six straight free throws during the final minute to ice it.
It was literally a team effort, as Godfrey paced the offense with 11 points and six rebounds. Blake Davidson added eight, with all of those coming in the second half. He also pulled down six boards. Buckner also had eight points.
Chase Thompson finished with nine, one shy of his career-high, while Dallas Thomas finished with six, two shy of his career-high.
Clemson got back-to-back threes from Dallas Thomas and Ace Buckner, then a Chase Thompson layup to give the Tigers an early six-point lead at 18-12. Thompson and Buckner then hit consecutive three-pointers, giving Clemson a 24-16 lead about midway through the first half. The team hit on six of its first 10 three-point attempts.
A Carter Welling shot from beyond the arc, and a short hook from Godfrey gave Clemson a 29-18 advantage with just under seven to go in the opening half. Thomas’ second three and a Thompson layup on a follow-up made it 34-20 with under four to play in the first half. Jake Wahlin then hit one from deep, giving the Tigers their biggest lead so far at 37-20.
Clemson would go on to take a 41-23 lead into the break, its largest lead of the game to that point.
Hot Start, Cold Finish
Clemson shot 9-of-18 from beyond the arc in the opening half. It is the most three-point shots the team has hit in a first half this season. Thomas, Buckner and Butta Johnson each had two each over the first 20 minutes of play.
However, in the second half, the team was just 1-of-13 from deep.
Injury News
With just under two minutes left in the first half, Welling would go down, grimacing in pain, while holding what looked to be his right knee. He was helped off the court and went straight to the locker room. He did not return to the game, although he did watch the final few minutes from the end of the bench. He finished with five points and five rebounds.
Up Next
Fourth-seeded North Carolina awaits Clemson in the quarterfinals. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. The Tigers lost on the road to the Tar Heels 67-63 on March 3.
Photo courtesy of Bob Donnan-Imagn Images