Clemson Looks Past Road Struggles to Win in OT
- Luke O'Reilly
- Jan 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 22
Clemson came into this Saturday with a lot to prove on the road against a very good Panthers roster, and they were able to go undefeated on the road this week, winning 78-75 in overtime. This game increases Clemson’s record to 15-4 (7-1), while Pittsburgh has lost four straight. This game continues the Tigers’ win streak against Pittsburgh, which stretches to 2015. The energetic Pittsburgh crowd had their home team ready to start this contest after the Tigers allowed an offensive rebound leading to a corner three for the Panthers. A couple of lackluster offensive possessions for Clemson kept the Tigers down 5-3 despite some early Panther turnovers and missed shots. Two shots from downtown from Chase Hunter and Viktor Lakhin silenced the home crowd for a couple of seconds, but Pittsburgh’s Guillermo Diaz Graham answered, regaining the crowd. Coach Capel’s team used their offensive rebounding ability to stay ahead 8-6 four minutes into the game. The Tigers proceeded to turn it over twice, while the Panthers could not hit a shot until Ishmael Leggett’s deep ball. Hunter quickly followed that shot with his own three-pointer off the dribble to push Clemson closer before the twelve-minute mark. The Tigers still have yet to produce any sort of consistent offense going into the second official timeout, but good defensive possessions kept them within the game down 11-9. Coach Brownell had his team hot coming out of the official timeout, and three straight high-percentage looks led to a Panthers’ timeout during an 11-0 Clemson run. Dillon Hunter’s offensive and defensive presence led this effort as he scored a quick 5 points with a steal. However, the Panthers did not go away easily as they scored quick points within the paint to keep them within five points after another Dillon Hunter deep ball. Both teams continued to trade threes as the first half wound down, and the Tigers led 31-23 after some big threes. Coach Capel began mixing his lineups up, trying to find something that worked. Chase Hunter continued to shine down the stretch as he hit yet another shot from downtown, putting him at 4-5 from three at halftime. Going into the locker room, Clemson led 40-30 after a couple of desperation shots from the Panthers kept them closer. During the first twenty minutes, the Tigers were easily outshooting the Panthers from downtown. Clemson shot 62.5% (10-16), while Pittsburgh shot just 29.4% (5-17). Despite this stat and Clemson’s lead, Pittsburgh easily dominated the competition within the paint. The home team both outrebounded and outscored the Tigers from within the rectangle. Pittsburgh walked into halftime with 10 offensive rebounds, which matched the total defensive rebounds Clemson had. Leading the Tigers in scoring were the Hunter brothers. Chase Hunter had 13 points, while Dillon was perfect from the field with 8 points off the bench. Clemson needed to find a more balanced offense in the second half to keep the Panthers down on the road. While the Tigers’ offense needed some work to become more balanced, Coach Brownell’s defense was spot on as Pittsburgh’s stars, Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett, combined for just 10 points at halftime. Clemson picked up right where they left off in the first half, and Coach Brownell’s first set of the second half led to a wide-open Ian Schieffelin three-pointer. The 7-footer Diaz Graham answered right back from the corner, but a Clemson dunk and free throws pushed them to be up by 14 two minutes into the second half. Pittsburgh continued to fight back, but everything was going the Tigers' way. A falling away one-handed shot from beyond the free throw line from Schieffelin put Clemson up 52-39 at the fifteen-minute mark. The Panthers decreased the deficit to just 8 after some lackluster Clemson offensive possessions and big threes from Pittsburgh’s veteran players. Leggett and Diaz Graham both pushed their three-point total to three, and Clemson led 55-47 just under the twelve-minute mark. Clemson’s offense continued to sputter without a balanced attack, and the Panthers took advantage of the paint and free throw line. Pittsburgh was a perfect 7-7 from the line, while also outscoring Clemson by 14 points from within the paint at the ten-minute mark. This feat decreased the Tiger lead to just four points, leading to a timeout by Coach Brownell. More unsuccessful offensive possessions followed that timeout, and the Panthers tied the game at 57 after a fast break deep ball from Damian Dunn. The Tigers were on the bad end of a 13-2 run that continued to feed energy into the home crowd with just under eight minutes to play. Thanks to two free throws from Chase Hunter and a quick lay-up from Chauncey Wiggins, Clemson went back up by four points after just a minute of play. Pittsburgh regained the lead for the first time since the first half, and the Tigers had just five minutes to overcome the road difficulties. However, back-to-back possessions were turnovers by Clemson, both coming via shot clock violation. Pittsburgh led 62-61 with under four minutes to play, and the Tigers hoped for any offensive production to rise late in this affair. Both teams traded lay-ups coming out of the last official timeout, and Jaeden Zackery headed to the line with an opportunity to retake the lead. However, the veteran player hit just one, and we were tied with two minutes to play. A Clemson timeout was wasted, and the Tigers were given their third shot clock violation of the second half. Despite the wasted offensive opportunities, Coach Brownell’s Tigers stayed effective on the defensive side as the game stayed tied at 64 with 51 seconds to go. Zackery pulled up from within the paint, hitting a crucial two, and Clemson went up by two with 30.1 seconds to go. Pittsburgh’s Lowe answered with his own two, and the Tigers had an opportunity to win it. However, a Chase Hunter turnover ended Clemson’s opportunity to win it in regulation, and we were headed to overtime in Pittsburgh tied at 66. At the end of regulation, both rosters had four guys in double digits, but the Panthers still continued to dominate from within the rectangle. Dillon Hunter’s hustle on a loose ball put the Tigers ahead in overtime to start, which led to a Chauncey Wiggins deep ball. Clemson finally led within the rebounding category, and some defensive stops put the Tigers up five with a couple of minutes to play. Pittsburgh’s Jaland Lowe finally was able to hit his first shot from downtown, keeping the Panthers within the game. Leggett followed it up with a floater, and it was a two-point game with 30 seconds to go. Clemson’s Chase Hunter proceeded to hit the dagger with 12 seconds from deep, making that his fifth three of the game (tying his career-high in a game). The Tigers hit fourteen threes as a team, which marks their season-high en route to this Quad 1 win. Clemson finished the night with five double-digit scorers: Chase Hunter (20), Jaeden Zackery (16), Ian Schieffelin (15), Chauncey Wiggins (11), and Dillon Hunter (10). Chase did it all for Clemson, getting 5 rebounds and 2 assists as well, and the Chef returned to the double-double category during this affair. The Tigers’ stars came to play, and they will return home Wednesday against Syracuse.
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