Clemson men’s basketball defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions by a score of 75-67 to win the 2024 Sunshine Slam tournament in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Tuesday night.

This was the Tigers’ second consecutive in-season tournament victory following their success last season when they defeated UAB and Davidson to win the 2023 Asheville Championship.

Clemson (6-1) was able to pull away in the second half despite only leading by a score of 38-36 at the break. The Tigers trailed the Nittany Lions for most of the first half but were able to overcome the seven-point deficit that they faced early.

The Tigers’ defense came through when they needed to most as they worked to stifle the Nittany Lions (6-1). Led by Viktor Lakhin with two steals and six rebounds and Ian Schieffelin with 13 rebounds and four steals, the defense continued their dominance and held Penn State to 4 for 18 from the 3-point line and under 85 points for the first time this season.

Schieffelin led the charge with 18 points, dishing a career-high eight assists and blocking two shots. Chase Hunter followed with 17 points of his own, sinking three 3-pointers and converting on 6 of 7 free throws.

It was a complete team effort, as four Tigers recorded points in the double digits. Freshman Del Jones had 10, and Chauncey Wiggins recorded 14 points in the win.

The game was a back-and-forth sparring match until Clemson took a seven-point lead in the second half. The lead was erased with a Penn State response, tying the game at 61 with just under seven minutes left.

The Tigers recorded 34 rebounds, 17 assists and 13 turnovers to Penn State’s 17, as they commanded the floor and played at head coach Brad Brownell’s pace to ultimately win the game and celebrate a Sunshine Slam championship.

Next, Clemson will host Florida A&M on Friday at 7 p.m. at Littlejohn Coliseum.