The Clemson Tigers fell to the No. 12 Alabama Crimson Tide, 90-84, on Tuesday night at Coleman Coliseum in the annual ACC/SEC Challenge.
With just under three minutes remaining, forward RJ Godfrey received a pass from guard Zac Foster and converted through contact for an and-1 layup, giving Clemson an 83-81 lead. The play capped a significant comeback, as the Tigers erased a 19-point deficit and tied the game at 54 with 12 minutes remaining on a 24-9 run. However, Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. quickly responded, driving through the Clemson defense for an and-1 floater and then spinning into another basket to reclaim momentum.
That shift fueled a 9-1 Crimson Tide run over the final two minutes, ultimately securing Alabama’s sixth win of the season.
“I thought our guys were a little bit on their heels,” head coach Brad Brownell said in the postgame press conference. “I don’t really know why. I don’t know if we were nervous, anxious. We knew this would be a hard game. We knew it would be a tough environment.”
The Tigers, 7–2, struggled early, scoring only 30 first-half points while shooting 29.7% from the field. Alabama capitalized on Clemson’s slow start, knocking down its first five 3-point attempts in the opening 10 minutes. Clemson faced consistent offensive stagnation and pacing issues as it searched for rhythm in the first half.
Forwards Godfrey and Nick Davidson spearheaded the second-half surge, attacking the paint and providing needed energy. Godfrey finished with 19 points, while Davidson scored all 11 of his points after halftime. Foster added 12 points off the bench, and Dillon Hunter contributed 13 points, five rebounds and four assists while keeping a clean slate in the turnover margin, giving the Tigers an important offensive boost.
“He just plays with tremendous heart, energy, physicality. And our team really was lacking that early on,” Brownell said of Godfrey.
Clemson nearly doubled its first-half production by scoring 54 second-half points, but the late push proved to be ultimately insufficient. Philon, who finished with 29 points, and forward Amari Allen continued to extend Alabama’s lead in the closing minutes. Despite the loss, Clemson outrebounded Alabama 43-39 and forced nine turnovers compared to its own seven.
With a key Jimmy V Classic matchup against BYU on the horizon, Clemson will need to make quick adjustments before entering a challenging ACC stretch.
On Tuesday, the Tigers will travel to New York City to face the BYU Cougars at Madison Square Garden. BYU is led by several highly ranked recruits, including No. 1 overall prospect AJ Dybantsa, who enters the contest averaging an impressive 19.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The matchup is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.
