No. 20 Clemson joins Duke atop ACC standings with 77-55 win at Cal
Perfection is not a word that belongs in sports. There is always something to clean up, something to sharpen. But Clemson’s first half against Cal came about as close as a half of basketball can reasonably get to perfection.
The result was a 77–55 win Saturday night at Haas Pavilion and a clean sweep of the Tigers’ West Coast trip.
From the opening tip, No. 20 Clemson (20-4, 10-1 ACC) set the terms defensively. The Tigers crowded passing lanes, disrupted actions early, and made every Cal possession work harder than it wanted to.
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Even when the Golden Bears (17-7, 5-6 ACC) found brief success, nothing came easy.
Cal actually started well. The Bears hit four of their first seven shots, opened 3-for-3 from deep, and briefly jumped out to a 13–9 lead. For about five minutes, their offense looked comfortable.
Then Clemson’s defense set its teeth, and the game shifted sharply.
Cal went nearly 13 minutes without a field goal. Clemson responded with a 23–1 run that turned a manageable deficit into a 39–20 halftime lead. The Bears finished the half making just two of their final 18 shots – not because of poor shot selection, but because clean looks disappeared.
Clemson’s halfcourt defense has been among the best in the ACC all season, and this was one of its clearest statements.
Cal prefers pace, space, and quick jumpers. Clemson took all of that away.
Passing lanes were crowded. Actions were disrupted early. By the time Cal could even begin a set, it was often starting closer to halfcourt than the three-point line.
That disruption showed up everywhere.
Clemson forced nine first-half turnovers, held Cal to 24 percent shooting, and limited the Bears to two assists over 20 minutes. The Tigers blocked four shots, allowed none, and consistently dictated where and how Cal could operate.
It wasn’t flashy. It was suffocating.
What made the half especially telling was who wasn’t on the floor.
Dillon Hunter, Clemson’s best perimeter defender and primary organizer, picked up two fouls in the first three minutes and played just five minutes in the half. The Tigers didn’t blink.
Ace Buckner filled the gap seamlessly.
He didn’t need to score to control the game. Buckner logged 15 first-half minutes, scored five points at the line, and added four assists, two rebounds, a block, and a steal. The stat line looked familiar because it mirrored the kind of impact Hunter typically provides.
Buckner found the offense in the second half and finished the night with 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting, including two three-pointers, along with three rebounds, a block, and a steal in 21 minutes.
Even then, Brad Brownell continued to coach him hard as Buckner navigated foul trouble. That combination – trust paired with accountability – continues to define this group.
The rest of Clemson followed the same script.
The offense wasn’t driven by one player or one matchup. It was spread evenly, intentionally.
No Tiger scored more than six points in the first half, but Hunter was the only player who didn’t score at all.
Clemson’s bench scored 20 of the team’s 39 first-half points. Cal’s bench scored none. By the end of the night, that margin had grown to 32–4, one of several indicators of how thoroughly Clemson controlled the game.
Efficiency replaced urgency. Clemson shot 59 percent from the field in the first half, moved the ball with purpose, and consistently generated good shots without forcing anything.
The Tigers assisted on eight baskets before halftime and blocked four shots on the other end. Nothing felt rushed. Nothing felt accidental.
Cal adjusted in the second half, initiating offense closer to the basket and finding more success than it had early. The Bears scored more freely, but never with momentum.
The closest they cut the lead was 15, and Clemson answered each time with composure.
RJ Godfrey tied for the team lead with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, pairing efficiency with physicality. He added five rebounds, a block, and a steal, impacting the game on both ends without needing volume touches.
Carter Welling followed with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting, repeatedly finding success with a soft eight-foot left-handed hook that continues to grow into a reliable interior option against size.
Jake Wahlin’s confidence from deep remained steady as well, continuing a strong stretch of ACC play with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Some of Clemson’s most valuable minutes came without much scoring at all.
Jestin Porter posted a team-high plus-minus of 23 despite finishing with seven points. His on-ball pressure forced Cal’s guards to start possessions uncomfortably high and sped up decisions before they could settle.
Dallas Thomas played four minutes but made them count, scoring five points on a perfect 2-for-2 shooting and adding an assist.
Butta Johnson added six points on two three-pointers and recorded two steals. Nick Davidson finished with five points. The contributions came in waves, never from just one place.
That’s what continues to separate this Clemson team. The strength of the Tigers is the team itself. Different games require different answers, and Clemson continues to provide them without disruption or ego.
By the final horn, Clemson had forced 14 turnovers, recorded 16 assists to Cal’s seven, blocked five shots, and completed a wire-to-wire second-half performance.
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The Tigers have now won 14 consecutive ACC road games, tying Duke for second-most in conference history.
With the win, and with North Carolina defeating Duke earlier in the day, Clemson is once again tied for first place in the ACC.
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Clemson returns home Wednesday night, Feb. 11, to host Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. in Littlejohn Coliseum, with coverage on ACC Network.
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