CLEMSON -- A year ago, no one would have predicted Clemson would face a pair of West Coast teams in January as part of the Atlantic Coast Conference. But this week, the Tigers made it look easy.
Clemson rolled over the California Golden Bears 80-68 Saturday night, capping off a perfect week against its new ACC brethren after defeating Stanford on Wednesday.
Clemson (12-3, ACC 4-0) dominated inside, outscoring Cal 28-10 in the paint during the second half to take control of the game. This strong interior presence was fueled by Ian Schieffelin, who delivered a standout performance when the Tigers needed it most.
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Schieffelin notched his fourth career 20-point game, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. With Viktor Lakhin still battling illness, Schieffelin stepped up and logged 38 minutes, owning the paint and leading Clemson’s charge.
Lakhin, who was good to go in the second half, didn't score in his 14 minutes on the hardwood and picked up four fouls, but his pairing with Schieffelin created mismatches that Cal (7-7, 0-3) couldn’t counter.
Lakhin filled the stat sheet with two assists, two rebounds, two blocks, and two steals
Cal’s leading scorer, Andrej Stojakovic, did his best to keep the Golden Bears in it, pouring in 30 points, a game-high, on 11-for-15 shooting. However, he struggled to get the rest of his team involved, adding just one assist.
The rest of Cal’s lineup struggled to move the ball, managing only six assists as a team.
Chase Hunter quietly turned in another stellar performance for the Tigers, finishing with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting. He added six assists, five rebounds, a block, and two steals in 36 minutes of work.
Chauncey Wiggins added 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting, also totaling four rebounds and two assists.
Clemson’s hot shooting from deep in the first half—hitting 7-of-11 from beyond the arc—helped it take a narrow three-point lead into halftime.
Turnovers were the only thing that kept the game close for the Golden Bears. Clemson’s seven first-half turnovers led to 12 Cal points, while the Tigers managed just four points off Cal’s two giveaways.
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Christian Reeves made his first start in a Clemson uniform, stepping in for the ailing Lakhin. In just eight minutes, Reeves contributed four points, going 1-for-1 from the field and 2-for-2 at the free throw line, while adding three rebounds and a steal.
The Tigers were remarkably efficient all game, shooting 62% from the field (31-for-50). Their three-point shooting cooled off in the second half, finishing 8-for-18 (44%) overall.
Cal finished the night 26-for-57 (45.6%) from the field and 6-for-17 from deep (35.3%).
This was the third meeting between the two schools, with each team having won once at neutral sites before. Brad Brownell moved to 2-0 against Cal in his coaching career.
Now tied with Duke atop the ACC standings at 4-0, Clemson looks to continue its strong conference start.
The Tigers hit the road next to face the Louisville Cardinals on Tuesday, January 7, with tipoff set for 7:00 PM on ESPNU.
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