Heartbreak in Providence: Clemson's Season Ends in Stunning Fashion

Jaeden Zackery

The Tigers took the court in their classic white uniforms with "Clemson" in orange across their chest, while McNeese sported blue uniforms with yellow lettering. This was supposed to be the start of a post-season run for the Clemson Tigers, but standing in their way was McNeese State coached by Clemson Alum, Will Wade.

Both teams started the game cold offensively. After exchanging early baskets, both struggled to find a rhythm, with aggressive, physical defense forcing late shot-clock attempts. By the first media timeout at the 15:17 mark, Clemson held a narrow 6-4 lead, with Viktor Lakhin contributing four points—two from the free-throw line—and Jaeden Zackery adding two.

McNeese responded with a 12-6 lead as Clemson endured an early scoring drought of over five minutes. The Tigers also faced foul trouble, with Ian Schieffelin picking up two quick fouls and heading to the bench around the 12-minute mark. At the under-12 timeout, Clemson was shooting a dismal 20% from the field, including 0-for-6 from three-point range.

Del Jones came off the bench and finally broke Clemson’s scoring drought with a tough drive and layup at the 10:37 mark. However, McNeese continued to control the game with physical defense, forcing Clemson into costly turnovers and poor shot selection. The Cowboys capitalized, going on a dominant 19-2 run to open up a commanding 23-8 lead.

Clemson struggled to handle McNeese’s relentless defensive pressure, committing seven turnovers in the first 12 minutes of play. The Tigers were unable to generate inside offense and had to settle for outside shots, which they simply couldn’t convert. Chauncey Wiggins finally ended Clemson’s long-range shooting woes, knocking down a three-pointer with 5:05 left in the half. However, McNeese quickly answered with a layup from Murray. By the final media timeout at 3:16, McNeese held a 25-11 lead, fueled by a 13-3 run over the previous seven minutes. Clemson looked completely out of sync, plagued by turnovers and outmuscled in the paint.

Jaeden Zackery added a layup with 1:04 remaining, but McNeese closed the half with another score to take a dominant 31-13 lead into the locker room. Clemson shot a woeful 21% from the floor and committed 10 turnovers in the first half, one of the Tigers' most uncharacteristic and disappointing performances in recent memory.

Clemson started the second half with a physical Jaeden Zackery layup, but the absence of Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin on the stat sheet was glaring. Neither had scored a single point in the first half. McNeese continued their dominance, extending their lead to 40-16 with 16:14 to go. Zackery added another layup before the media timeout, with the score standing at 40-18 McNeese with 14:52 left.

Zackery tried to chip away at McNeese’s lead, but every time he scored, the Cowboys had an answer. At the under-12 timeout, Zackery had climbed to 13 points, but Clemson still trailed by 18 at 45-27. Chase Hunter finally got on the board with a pair of free throws at the 10:02 mark. However, Clemson continued to struggle from the floor, with Hunter’s first field goal, a three-pointer, not coming until the 6:58 mark. That was an unexpected development heading into this matchup.

Clemson refused to go down without a fight, putting together a 7-0 run to cut McNeese’s lead to 15. The Cowboys took a timeout with 6:14 left. Out of the break, Clemson continued to claw back, with Hunter getting to the line for two shots. The Tigers cut the deficit to 13, but momentum took another hit when Viktor Lakhin fouled out on a controversial technical foul after picking up his fourth personal.

The Tigers kept battling, cutting the deficit to 10 heading into the final media timeout at 57-47. Through all of this, Hunter found his way to double digits with eight of his points coming from the free-throw line. He stood at 13 points with just three minutes to go.

Hunter continued to heat up, knocking down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to eight with 2:02 remaining, bringing his total to 18 points. However, McNeese responded, pushing the lead back to double digits. Clemson got a lifeline with back-to-back threes from Jake Heidbreder and Zackery, cutting McNeese’s lead to 67-62 with 22 seconds left. The Tigers resorted to the late foul strategy and managed to get the game down to a two-point deficit at the very end, with a Chase Hunter score at the buzzer. But it was too little, too late. Clemson’s season came to a heartbreaking end in Providence, falling 69-67.

McNeese's aggressive and physical defense set the tone for the game, completely shutting Clemson down for long stretches. The Tigers suffered multiple scoring droughts throughout the contest, unable to find consistent offense against the Cowboys' relentless ball pressure and interior toughness. Forced into uncomfortable shots and rushed possessions, Clemson turned the ball over repeatedly, leading to transition opportunities that McNeese capitalized on. The suffocating defensive effort kept the Tigers on their heels, making it difficult to mount any real offensive rhythm until it was too late.

Clemson simply ran into a buzzsaw, and today was the worst possible day to have their worst performance. It took Hunter three-quarters of the game to find his rhythm, and by then, the Tigers were facing an uphill battle. He finished with 21 points, Zackery led the way with 24, and Ian Schieffelin, in an uncharacteristic outing, finished with just one point.

This isn’t the way this historic season was supposed to end. The heartbreak and disbelief are palpable, knowing that such a special group of players had their final Clemson game go this way. But this one game does not define this team. They had a bad day at the worst possible time, but their season was filled with moments that won’t be forgotten. This group gave everything they had, and despite the ending, they left a lasting impact on Clemson basketball.