No. 11 Clemson slips and falls in overtime to Florida State 81-79
Clemson found itself in a similar position on Thursday night.
On the road in Tallahassee, the Tigers led Florida State by 18 points in the second half, but that lead was erased with seven minutes to go when the Seminoles rallied to tie the game at 59.
This season, No. 11 Clemson had usually answered the calls of crunch time by staying calm and composed when things got close towards the end of games.
This time, the Tigers slipped up.
Clemson turned the ball over 21 times, 15 after halftime, to allow Florida State to complete its comeback and snap Clemson’s four-game winning streak 81-79.
Florida State’s trapping and aggressive defensive play gave the Tigers fits in the second half, but many of the turnovers came when players couldn’t keep their footing. The slipping and sliding caused the Tigers to tighten up on the offensive end and Florida State made them pay.
Florida State’s Trent Forrest made a layup with eight seconds left in regulation to tie the game for only the second time of the game at 70 and send the game to overtime. Marcquise Reed missed a layup on the other end as time expired.
After Elijah Thomas scored Clemson’s first four points in overtime, the Seminoles answered with a three, before Terance Mann hit a dazzling spinning layup to give Florida State its first lead of the game with one minute remaining. A 7-0 Seminole run gave Florida State a 77-74 lead.
Clemson had its chances.
Down four points with eight seconds remaining, David Skara scored an inside layup off of an inbounds pass. On the ensuing possession, Florida State tried to throw the ball deep into Clemson’s backcourt, but Skara skied for the steal and was fouled.
Down just two with seconds remaining, Skara went to the free throw line with a chance to tie. For the second time on the road this season, Clemson missed a free throw with a chance to extend the game.
After Forrest made two free throws to give the Seminoles a three-point lead, Reed went back to the free throw line. He made the first, missed the second and Thomas corralled the rebound, but couldn’t get a good look at the basket as time expired on Clemson’s fifth loss of the season.
Marcquise Reed, who was coming off of the flu, led Clemson in scoring with 23 points while shooting 8-for-21 from the field in 45 minutes of play. He had the chance to ice the game when Clemson was up by two with less than 20 seconds to play, but missed an open eight-foot jump shot from the baseline to give Florida State a chance it wouldn’t waste.
Shelton Mitchell added eight points, but was carried off the court after he took a forearm to the head and hit the floor hard with nine seconds left in overtime. He tried to stand, but couldn’t stay on his feet and looked dazed as he left the floor.
Brad Brownell said Mitchell is heading to the hospital to get a CT scan. As bad as it looked, it’s unlikely he’ll play against Duke on Sunday.
The second-half turnovers played a huge role in Clemson’s demise against a Florida State team that plays so well at home. Clemson gave up 29 points to the Seminoles off turnovers, which is the most the Tigers have given up all season.
“They wore us down a little bit,” Brad Brownell said after the loss. “Gabe playing 39 minutes and Marcquise playing 45 minutes was a little too much. The windows are just small when you play Florida State. I thought our guys fought their tails off. “
But Florida State got some help offensively. Forrest’s 16 points were a season-high for him and Phil Cofer caught fire in the second half. At one point, Cofer was 7-for-7 from the field in the second half as he led Florida State’s charge. He finished with 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
Clemson continued its success from behind the three-point line with ten threes, but Gabe DeVoe had his lowest scoring outing in the last five games with 11 points. His streak of four straight games with at least five made three-pointers came to an end.
Even with Clemson’s sloppy offensive execution, Brownell was still proud of the fight his team showed to be in a good position at the end of the game when things looked all but over. That’s exactly what the message was in the locker room.
“I’m more proud of them tonight than I have been on six or seven wins this year,” Brownell added.
The 20-5 Tigers must now put this loss behind them as they put all their focus on playing Duke Sunday afternoon. Both teams are tied for second place in the ACC and a win would be vital for either side.
With Mitchell’s expected concussion, the Tigers will be even more short-handed against a Duke team that is more than capable of beating Clemson on its home floor.
Clemson hosts Duke on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM.