STANFORD, Calif. – Clemson University men’s basketball won its fourth game of the year when trailing at the half and defeated Stanford 66-64 to clinch its ninth ACC win and 19th overall win this season.
The Tigers (19-4, 9-1 ACC) moved the ball to find open shooters throughout the night, and three Tigers reached double-digit scoring figures in the contest. Nick Davidson (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mater Dei) led the team with 16 points and seven rebounds, which marked his 11th double-digit outing of the season.
Chase Thompson (Glenwood, Minn./Alexandria Area) recorded a career-high 10 points on an almost perfect 4-for-5 shooting. He tied his career-high with 18 minutes played. The Tigers shot 45.7% from the field and 41.2 % from three. It was their fifth game of the season shooting over 40.0 percent from three (5-0).
RJ Godfrey (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett/Georgia) scored nine points, and Carter Welling (Draper, Utah/Corner Canyon/Utah Valley) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and provided defensive stability in the paint.
Despite trailing 32-30 at the end of the first half, Clemson rallied back to take a commanding seven-point lead with 9:26 remaining. At the beginning of the second half, the Tigers used a 23-11 run in which six different players would score to produce a 53-46 lead, its largest of the game.
In a game that featured eight lead changes and six times tied, the Tigers were able to edge the Cardinal and suppress the offensive attack to win in the late minutes. With just three seconds left to play, Ace Buckner (Dallas, Texas/La Lumiere School (Ind.) who finished with 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists, converted on a pair of free throws to lift the Tigers to a 66-64 hard-fought victory.
The Tigers return to the court on Saturday, February 7, when they travel to Haas Pavilion in Berkley, Calif. to take on the California Golden Bears. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on the ACCN.
Notes: Clemson improved to 19-4 on the season and 9-1 in ACC play with the win … the Tigers improved to 2-0 all-time against Cardinal … Clemson is now 93-34 overall since the 2022-23 season 52-18 in the ACC during that same time period … Head Coach Brad Brownell won his 311th game at Clemson and 478th overall in his career … Clemson has won 13 consecutive road games dating back to the 2023-24 season – tied for the third longest in ACC history (tied with NC State from 1972-74) … Clemson won its fifth game of the season when trailing at the half (5-2 in games trailing at halftime this year) … Clemson shot 41.2 percent from three – its fifth game this season shooting over 40.0 percent from three (5-0) … Clemson’s bench scored 43 of its 66 points in the game – the seventh time this season Clemson’s bench has eclipsed 40 points … Chase Thompson scored a career-high 10 points on a career-high four made field goals … Thompson tied his career-high with 18 minutes played … Nick Davidson netted his 11th double-digit scoring game with 16 points … Carter Welling led the Tigers with eight rebounds, marking his eighth game this year with eight or more rebounds … Ace Buckner totaled 11 points – his eighth double-digit scoring game of the season.
