Clemson overcomes double-digit deficit to beat West Virginia 70-67
Clemson didn’t need a trophy in hand to find its edge Friday night, just the promise of playing for one.
RJ Godfrey said earlier in the week that competing for hardware gets your competitive edge up.
BECOME A TIGERILLUSTRATED.com SUBSCRIBER!
The Tigers proved him right Friday night, clawing back from an 11-point second-half deficit to beat West Virginia, 70-67, in Charleston at the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic.
Clemson didn’t play a perfect game in TD Arena. Far from it. But for the first time this season, the Tigers finally showed what it looks like when they take a punch and swing back.
ALSO SEE: Friday Clemson Football Injury Intel | Networking In The Portal For Clemson Football | Friday Insider | Late-week Clemson Football Nuggets | Thursday Insider: Burroughs, Clemson’s High School Recruiting Strategy, Portal, O-Line | About the transfer portal and Clemson’s retention | Clemson’s verbal commitments | Clemson’s junior commitments
Down 11 with under 11 minutes left, Clemson closed on a 13–4 run.
That spark came from a player who had been quiet all night.
Carter Welling, stuck at two points for the first 35 minutes, suddenly lit the fuse with back-to-back threes to give Clemson a 64–63 lead.
He then added a transition layup to cap a personal 8–0 burst.
By the time he checked out, Welling had 13 points on 4-for-7 shooting, plus eight rebounds, two assists and a block in 24 minutes in his most impactful stretch of the season.
West Virginia still had a chance in the final seconds.
Down two with under 30 seconds left, the Mountaineers air-balled a three, and Jake Wahlin hit one of 2 free throws after grabbing the rebound.
WVU pushed the other way needing a three to tie, but instead Brenen Lorient went up for an uncontested dunk with 1.5 seconds left – cutting the deficit to one but effectively ending their comeback.
The finish overshadowed what had been, for most of the night, an uneven Clemson performance.
The Tigers trailed 32–25 at halftime after a disastrous turnover with 1.9 seconds left turned into a buzzer-beater from just inside half court. That shot pushed the deficit to seven and sent Clemson into the locker room feeling like they’d given away momentum.
In the second half, the issue wasn’t effort as much as timing.
Clemson had several possessions where the initial defense was excellent but a late closeout or bailout shot burned them, including a dagger-feeling, shot-clock-beating three by Jasper Floyd that put WVU up nine with 6:51 to play.
But unlike the Georgetown loss, the Tigers held their composure.
They steadied the rotation, went smaller, matched the Mountaineers’ speed on the perimeter and finally found enough stops to make a run.
A handful of Tigers carried that effort.
Jestin Porter tied for the team lead with 14 points on 4-for-9 shooting, hit two threes and added two steals.
Dillon Hunter delivered timely buckets late, finishing with 13 points (5-for-8), four assists and two steals.
Butta Johnson gave Clemson 11 points off the bench on an efficient 4-for-7 night.
And then there was RJ Godfrey, who didn’t start again but continues to be the team’s stabilizer.
After opening the season shooting a ridiculous 26-for-35, he added another hyper-efficient line: 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
When Clemson’s offense sagged early in the second half, Godfrey was the one keeping the game within reach.
A surprise from the game was freshman forward Zac Foster struggling for the first time this year, limited to 15 minutes with four fouls and going 0-for-4 from the floor.
Clemson finished 24-for-52 (46.2%) from the field, 7-for-22 (31.8%) from three and 15-for-19 (78.9%) at the line, numbers that looked much better late than they did early.
West Virginia shot 40.4% overall and an efficient 39.1% from deep but couldn’t overcome seven missed free throws and a disjointed final minute.
Turnovers remain Clemson’s biggest concern.
The Tigers gave it away 12 times, gifting WVU 19 points. That’s the kind of margin that usually buries a team, and did just two games ago against the Hoyas.
DISCUSSION: Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone Forum
But this time, Clemson responded. As Godfrey put it this week, playing for a trophy “gets your competitive edge up.” They showed that edge when it mattered most.
DISCUSSION: Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on our off-topics forum
Next up Clemson faces the winner of Georgia vs. Xavier for a spot in Sunday’s championship game. Time and TV info are TBA.
Not a Tiger Illustrated member, Clemson fans? Join Today!
Tigerillustrated.com, established in 1999, is the No. 1 Authority On Clemson Football & Recruiting. A subscription, just $1 for our 7-day trial, is a must-have for hardcore Clemson Football fans. You won’t find more exclusive, detailed, info on Clemson football and recruiting anywhere else. We guarantee it! CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR $1 SUBSCRIPTION PROMO!
