Hunter’s 20-Piece; Lakhin’s Double-Double Leads Clemson in Victory
RALEIGH – Clemson University men’s basketball moved to 10-1 in the ACC following a 68-58 win at NC State on Saturday afternoon inside Lenovo Center. The 10-1 start ties a program record with Head Coach Brad Brownell’s 2022-23 team.
The Tigers’ (18-4, 10-1 ACC) victory was Coach Brownell’s 450th of his career. Viktor Lakhin (Anapa, Russia/CSKA-2/Cincinnati) secured his fourth double-double of the campaign with 13 points and 11 rebounds. He also eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau for his career with a 3-pointer at the 7:56 mark of the second half.
Lakhin also collected two blocks and two steals.
Chase Hunter (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) netted his seventh 20-point game of the season, leading all Tiger scorers with 20 on 6-of-12 shooting, including a perfect 6-for-6 at the foul line.
Clemson improved to 11-0 when Chauncey Wiggins (Grayson, Ga./Grayson) reaches double-figure scoring. Wiggins finished with 11 points.
The Tigers fell behind in the early going 7-2, but that was the largest deficit they would face all day. Clemson quickly rebounded and led by three after the opening stanza, 34-31.
Clemson pushed its lead to a game-high seven points out of halftime with back-to-back buckets from Wiggins and Lakhin, however, an 8-0 Wolfpack run pushed NC State into the lead 39-38.
Clemson jumped back in front and gained a game-high 10-point advantage following a couple Wiggins free throws. After closing the deficit to just six, Dillon Hunter (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) swished home a 3-pointer against a zone defense from NC State.
Clemson coasted the rest of the way and would win by a final of 68-58 in Raleigh. Ian Schieffelin (Atlanta, Ga./Grayson) aided the Tiger effort with eight points, six rebounds and three assists. Jaeden Zackery (Salem, Wis./Westosha Central/Boston College) filled up the stat sheet with seven points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Tigers’ victory was their sixth consecutive ACC win, tied for the third-longest win streak in Clemson history during league play. It was the fourth-straight road win, which is the second-longest ACC road streak in school history. Five is the mark set by Horace Grant’s senior campaign in 1986-87.
Clemson returns to the court on Tuesday, Feb. 4 when it hosts Georgia Tech at 9 p.m. on ACCN.
Notes: Clemson moves to 18-4 this season and 10-1 in the ACC … it ties the Tigers’ best start to ACC play in school history (10-1 in 2022-23) … the win is Clemson’s sixth consecutive victory in ACC play – third longest streak in school history … it was the fourth-straight road win, which is the second-longest ACC road streak in school history – five is the mark set by Horace Grant’s senior campaign in 1986-87.… Head Coach Brad Brownell won his 450th game of his career and his 283rd while at Clemson … Clemson is fourth in the ACC since 2017-18 with 82 league victories … Chase Hunter scored 20 points, his seventh 20-point game of the season and 16th of his career … Hunter now has 1,607 career points and is 11th on Clemson’s scoring list … the win was Hunter’s 101st in a Clemson uniform – extending his program record of victories … Viktor Lakhin collected his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds … Lakhin surpassed the 1,000-point plateau in the second half … Ian Schieffelin now has 775 career rebounds and remains 10th on Clemson’s all-time rebounding list.