File photos from Clemson Athletics
Clemson traveled to Florida State this weekend looking to get its season back on track after struggling with its outside shooting in recent weeks and frequently stubbing its toe in conference play. The Tigers, perhaps fueled by their recent setbacks, arrived in Tallahassee, Fl., a focused and motivated unit. Clemson channeled that focus into stellar shooting from the 3-point line and a dominant defensive performance, leading to a feel-good 78-67 win over the Seminoles, Saturday.
Florida State simply found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time as Clemson took out its frustration and regained the form that led to an 11-1 start to the season. The Tigers had lost four of their last five ACC games before knocking off FSU, Saturday. Their most recent loss, a 93-90 double-overtime defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech, was particularly frustrating. Clemson surrendered a nine-point lead in the final minutes of regulation and made just 14% of its 3-point shots.
But the Tigers looked like a different bunch, Saturday, scoring efficiently from the floor (51%), the foul line (84%) and beyond the arc (41%). Brad Brownell’s club shot a remarkable 61% in the second half, clearly signaling they weren’t going to ease off the gas and let this chance pass them by. Chase Hunter’s stat line encapsulated Clemson’s day as the veteran guard hit all 11 shots he attempted. Hunter was 3 of 3 on field goals and 8 of 8 on free throws for a team-high 14 points. P.J. Hall dealt with some foul trouble, but still managed to score 13 points and grab six rebounds. Clemson won the rebounding battle 39-22 and held FSU to seven assists as a team.
The Tigers’ defense was also a major factor. Clemson mixed in some zone looks with its customary man-to-man defense, which served to disrupt a Florida State (11-7, 5-2) squad that was firing on all cylinders and had won five in a row before Saturday. The Seminoles hit just 22% of their 3-point attempts and shot just 41% overall.
Clemson (13-5, 3-4) will stay in conference play and again take to the road next week, this time traveling to Durham, NC. The Tigers are scheduled to tipoff with Duke at 4 p.m., Saturday.