Clemson men’s basketball knocked off No. 24 SMU 74-70 in an important ACC contest on Wednesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers, 13–3, 3–0 ACC, led by 9 points at the end of the first half, establishing a strong defensive presence from the opening tip.
“I thought our defense in the first half was about as good as it can be, and I thought our guys just played really hard, played hard for 40 minutes,” head coach Brad Brownell said.
Clemson junior forward Jake Wahlin provided an immediate spark with early buckets — including a roof-raising 3-pointer — that generated momentum from the get-go. Carter Welling complemented the effort, making an impact on both ends of the floor. The junior center finished with 6 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
As the second half began, the game turned into a physical, foul-heavy battle. SMU relied heavily on Boopie Miller’s shooting and Samet Yiğitoğlu’s interior dominance. Miller led the ‘Stangs with 23 points and eight rebounds while Yiğitoğlu added a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Clemson countered with timely 3-point shooting from Dillon Hunter and Butta Johnson, along with steady scoring from RJ Godfrey. Shooting 3-for-6 from 3-point range, Johnson led Clemson’s bench in scoring, which outscored SMU’s bench 27-9.
The Mustangs refused to relent, though, leaning on free throws, defensive stops and offensive rebounds to extend their possessions and keep the game competitive. Despite a late push from SMU and a last-second 3-point attempt, Clemson’s strong rebounding and composure at the free-throw line sealed the win for the Tigers.
“It’s hard to stop those guys. They did a good job in the second half, made a couple of adjustments and got the ball inside a little early on us, and we obviously fouled some in the second half. But our guys, again, we found ways to make some plays,” Brownell said.
In the Tigers’ final Grit After Dark matchup of the season, the electric atmosphere inside Littlejohn energized the Tigers and fueled their determination.
“I want to thank our fans that came tonight. That was a terrific turnout. Great to have our students back. I thought they provided a bunch of electricity in the building, which was fun. We hadn’t been home in a while,” Brownell said.
Following the hard-earned ACC victory, the Tigers will hit the road for yet another ranked matchup when they face No. 8 Notre Dame, 10–5, 1–1 ACC, at Purcell Pavilion on Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.
