CLEMSON -- Clemson braved the snowy weekend outside and came out red-hot inside Littlejohn Coliseum Saturday, bouncing back from a disappointing loss to Louisville with a barrage of three-pointers and lockdown defense to dismantle Florida State 77-57.
Clemson (13-4, 5-1 ACC) came out firing, hitting 7 of its first 10 three-point attempts to build a 36-29 halftime lead.
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While the offense provided the early spark, it was the Tigers' relentless defense that shut down the Seminoles (11-5, 2-3) and secured the victory.
Facing one of the tallest teams in college basketball, Clemson relied on its backcourt. Instead of forcing shots inside, the Tigers relied on driving and kicking out for open looks from deep. The approach paid off as Clemson connected on 13-of-28 threes (46.4%).
Clemson anticipated struggles in the half-court against FSU’s tough defense but flipped the script with a stifling defensive performance of its own.
The Tigers disrupted FSU’s ball movement by switching everything on defense, preventing the Seminoles from taking advantage of mismatches.
Florida State’s leading scorer, Jamir Watkins, started hot with two early threes and had some choice words for the Clemson crowd. But karma caught up with him quickly—Watkins went ice cold, failing to score for over 30 minutes and finishing with just 11 points and a game-low -26 plus/minus.
On the other side, Chase Hunter carried the Tigers offensively, dropping a game-high 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
His aggressive play set the tone early, and he capped off his afternoon with a highlight-reel chase-down block that led to a Jaeden Zackery three-pointer, effectively sealing the game with 3:30 left.
Zackery, who finished with 15 points, made a strong impact early, scoring 10 in the first half and adding three rebounds, three assists, and a steal in a team-high 36 minutes. His energy on both ends helped Clemson take control early and never let go.
Chauncey Wiggins quietly contributed 12 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting while grabbing four rebounds and a steal.
Ian Schieffelin, despite battling back spasms, played 31 minutes, finishing with just two points but dishing out six assists and committing only one turnover despite FSU crashing anytime he got the ball inside.
Viktor Lakhin struggled with foul trouble, logging just 11 minutes and finishing with seven points and six rebounds.
Del Jones was also hot from deep, knocking down 3-of-5 from beyond the arc for nine points. He also chipped in two assists and a steal, capping off a strong performance in his 16 minutes on the floor.
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With Schieffelin and Lakhin combining for only nine points, Clemson’s guards stepped up to fill the scoring void.
Overall, the Tigers shot 48.3% from the field (28-of-58) and outpaced FSU from three-point range with their 13 threes, compared to the Seminoles’ 4-of-16 (25%).
FSU shot a respectable 42.9% from the field but couldn’t match Clemson’s efficiency or volume from deep.
The win marks Clemson’s fifth straight victory over Florida State.
Next, Clemson hits the road to face ACC rival Georgia Tech on Tuesday, January 14. Tipoff is set for 9:00 PM on the ACC Network.
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