Despite the snow still being present, the Clemson Tigers bounced back with a win over the Florida State Seminoles at Littlejohn Coliseum winning 77-57.
Chase Hunter continued to execute at a high level, scoring 25 points to lead the team to its fifth win in conference play. It was the eighth straight game this season that he has scored 15 or more points in a game. The graduate senior also hit four 3-pointers in the win.
The most exciting play of the game came by Hunter, who chased down Seminole Daquan Davis for a block and then sent a cross-court pass to Jaeden Zackery, who nailed a corner three.
Head coach Brad Brownell called the play “remarkable,” as well as Hunter’s overall play today.
“It just speaks to how competitive he is and how much he wants to win, and those are remarkable, athletic plays,” Brownell said after the game. “His performance today was big time.”
All guards found success today for Clemson (13-4, 5-1 ACC), especially in the opening half of the game — of the Tigers’ 36 points, 29 came from a guard player. With the team combining for seven first-half 3-pointers, the Tigers took a strong lead at halftime. Zackery followed Hunter in the scoring, adding 15 points and three assists.
Bench players Dillon Hunter and Del Jones added several 3-pointers to aid the bench attack for Clemson.
The Tigers also shot 46.4% from 3-point range in the win, one of the best performances from beyond the arc all year.
Littlejohn brought the boos for Florida State’s top scorer, Jamir Watkins, on Saturday afternoon, stemming from a flagrant foul that he received for fouling Zackery. The forward entered the game averaging 18.7 points per game, third in the ACC. However, Watkins would finish with only 11 points and made only three of his 12 shots from the field — a credit to the Clemson defense.
“We did a nice job, and obviously the crowd was helpful,” Brad Brownell said. “Another great crowd. (Watkins) is a terrific player. He beats you in a lot of different ways.”
Unlike the Tigers, the Seminoles (11-5, 2-3 ACC) struggled from three, shooting 25% from beyond the arc. Clemson closed out well on shots, and the team was able to cruise to another ACC victory, thanks to a growing lead throughout the second half.
Chauncey Wiggins added 12 of his own to help out the Clemson offense. Jones would finish with nine points off the bench.
The Tigers will next face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in another ACC affair, traveling to Atlanta to face their opponent on Tuesday night.
