Clemson claims Charleston Classic Championship with 97-94 overtime win over UGA
They call it the Charleston Classic.
It was every bit of that Sunday afternoon in Clemson’s 97-94 overtime triumph over Georgia.
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In a game that lasted close to three hours and featured innumerable momentum shifts, the Tigers scored 17 points in overtime to claim the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic at TD Arena.
This is an all new Clemson team under Brad Brownell, but fans are probably going to like what they see this year after the past three years of high achievement.
Jestin Porter scored a team-high 18 points for the Tigers, and five of his teammates were in double figures.
Porter missed a three-foot follow shot at the end of regulation that would’ve won it, but Clemson took control early in overtime.
RJ Godfrey scored 12 points against his former team, including a sky hook in the lane that put Clemson up 90-85 with 1:24 left in overtime.
Godfrey and another newcomer were the bread and Butta.
After scoring a season-high 11 points in Friday night’s narrow victory over West Virginia, Butta Johnson had 13 in the championship game.
Seven of Johnson’s points came in overtime, including an early dunk when he beat the press to put Clemson up 84-80.
At the 2:12 mark of extra play Johnson made Blue Cain pay for his defensive aggression, nailing a wide open 3 to put Clemson up five after Cain went for the steal.
Johnson added two free throws with 53 seconds left to make it 92-87.
Dillon Hunter also came through in overtime after missing a shot in the lane in the final seconds of regulation. He hit a follow shot of a Porter miss to open the scoring, and in the final 28 seconds he went 4-of-4 from the line.
Clemson improved to 6-1, and Georgia suffered its first loss of the season in falling to 6-1.
The Bulldogs got 26 points from guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, and 19 from Cain.
Georgia was up 10 in the first half but Clemson recovered and went into the locker room up 41-40.
The Tigers built their own 10-point lead in the second half but the Bulldogs devoured it with a 13-0 run.
Hunter scored 16 points for the Tigers and was 4-of-6 from the field while going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. Godfrey had seven rebounds, seven of them offensive.
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Godfrey incurred his fourth foul on a flagrant with 7:42 left in regulation, but he was able to stay on the floor without drawing his fifth.
Clemson was able to hang with Georgia’s frenetic pace, and the Tigers controlled sections of the game when they were able to force the Bulldogs to execute in the halfcourt.
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Porter was 4-of-9 from long range and hit three straight 3s at one point in the second half.
Clemson had 20 points off 15 Georgia turnovers and scored 18 second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds.
The Tigers play host to Alabama A&M on Friday at 7 PM.
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