CLEMSON, S.C. - Dylan Faulkner (Calhoun, Ga./Calhoun) made a buzzer-beating layup to lift Clemson University men's basketball to an 82-80 win against Georgia in its first exhibition game of the 2026-27 season on Friday night in Littlejohn Coliseum.
Faulkner opened the contest with 15 points in the first half and finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in 26 minutes of play. Faulkner posted 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in the first half – he'd only turned in a stat line like that three times in his career before tonight and did so in one half of play.
Dallas Thomas (Little Rock, Ark./Parkview/Magnet) scored a career-high 18 points with a second-half surge where he shot 5-for-8 from the field and 2-for-2 from beyond the three-point line, finishing with 15 of his final total in the second stanza.
The Tigers used a 10-3 run to jump out to a 14-8 lead early. Then extended the lead to nine with 7:53 left in the first half with an 8-1 run from the 10:46 to 7:53 mark.
Clemson battled with the Bulldogs in the final five minutes of the first half as four different players scored in the period. Clemson held the Bulldogs to 35.1% from the field in the opening stanza and led for 18:20, taking a 41-34 lead into halftime.
Cole Certa (Le Roy, Ill./IMG Academy) added 14 points and made three 3-pointers and finished 5-for-5 from the foul line.
Chase Thompson (Glenwood, Minn./Alexandria Area) turned in a strong performance, commanding the paint with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Clemson led for all but 40 seconds, racing to an eleven-point lead, its largest lead of the game with 13:29 remaining.
Georgia used an 11-7 run to draw within three with 8:27 left to play; Clemson kept the Bulldogs at bay and held an 80-73 lead with 1:11 left. Georgia scored seven points in 47 seconds and tied the game at 80 with 13 seconds left. Faulkner missed a mid-range jump shot and followed the rebound to retain possession of the ball and rose up and sank a floater in the lane as time expired.
David Fuchs (Vienna, Austria/San Francisco) totaled six points and four rebounds, while sophomore Trent Steinour (Huntersville, N.C./Lake Norman) finished with three points and five rebounds.
Clemson will play its second exhibition game against Presbyterian College in Littlejohn Coliseum on Wednesday, October 28 at 7 p.m.
