Clemson rallies in second half to hold off Mercer for 70-63 win
CLEMSON — Brad Brownell earned his 300th career win at Clemson on Saturday afternoon, but the milestone did not come easy as the Tigers survived a scare and edged Mercer 70-63 at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Just four days removed from a heartbreaking loss in New York, the Tigers found themselves in a tight game deep into the second half before finally creating separation.
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Clemson trailed 58-55 with 8:03 remaining, then held Mercer scoreless for more than six minutes while flipping the game with a decisive run to take a 65-58 lead.
That stretch proved to be enough.
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Mercer (7-3) briefly pulled to within four, but Zac Foster slammed the door shut with an emphatic transition dunk that sucked the air out of any remaining upset hopes.
Clemson (8-3) closed out the game at the free-throw line to escape what nearly became a disaster.
Dillon Hunter powered the second-half surge, scoring 13 of his 15 points after halftime. The sophomore shot 4-of-7 while added two assists and logged 27 minutes.
Nick Davidson continued his “coming out party”, posting 12 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting while knocking down a 3-pointer. Davidson also added five rebounds and played a team-high 32 minutes.
Jestin Porter joined Davidson and Hunter in double figures, finishing with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting, including two 3-pointers, along with two assists, rebounds and steals.
RJ Godfrey chipped in nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and recorded a team-best plus-minus of 14.
Foster finished with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds, second most on the team behind Godfrey.
Mercer was led by Baraka Okojie, who was a consistent problem for Clemson throughout the afternoon.
The Bears’ lead guard scored 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, added five assists and three rebounds, and played 37 minutes. Zaire Williams added 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting.
Mercer controlled the first half, opening up a 39-33 halftime lead while shooting 64 percent from the field. Clemson struggled to find rhythm early as the Bears repeatedly made tough shots.
The Bears finished the game shooting 26-of-54 (48.1 percent) from the floor, 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) from 3-point range and 5-of-10 (50 percent) at the free-throw line.
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Mercer played just seven players in double-digit minutes, and Clemson’s deeper rotation wore them down late.
Clemson shot 25-of-54 (46.3 percent) overall, went 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) from beyond the arc and hit 12-of-16 (75 percent) at the stripe.
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The Tigers now turn their attention to a battle for the state, hosting rival South Carolina on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
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