Finishing games has not been a strong suit thus far for the Clemson men’s basketball team. In losses this season to St. Bonaventure, West Virginia, and most recently Miami, the Tigers have held leads of nine or more points in the second half but could not come away with the win. On Saturday, the Tigers almost fell victim to a similar story against Drake as part of the “Holiday Hoopsgiving” event in Atlanta, Georgia.
Trailing by ten with just over four minutes to play, the Bulldogs outscored the Tigers 14-4 to force overtime. However, in the extra session Al-Amir Dawes and Nick Honor knocked down big three-point shots to lift Clemson to a 90-80 OT triumph at the State Farm Arena, home of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
Both offenses were clicking with each team connecting on eleven three pointers. The difference in the game may ultimately have been Clemson’s ability to get to the foul line. The Tigers were 23-of-27 (85%) from the stripe, while the Bulldogs were just 13-of-16 (81%) at the line. PJ Hall recorded a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds as five Tigers scored in double-figures. Drake had six players achieve double digits, led by Tucker DeVries’ 19 points on five made threes.
Clemson returns home to host Miami of Ohio on Tuesday before entertaining instate rival South Carolina on Saturday, December 18th at 8pm.
