Clemson hands Louisville sixth straight loss

Field Level Media|published: Tue 30th January, 23:47 2024

Jan 13, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell reacts during the second half against the Boston College Eagles at Littlejohn Coliseum. credits: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

PJ Hall scored a team-high 25 points, leading Clemson to a 70-64 win over visiting Louisville on Tuesday.

Chase Hunter added 16 points for Clemson (14-6, 4-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), which rebounded from a one-point loss at then-No.12 Duke on Saturday. Joseph Girard III collected 13 points for the Tigers, who saw their 24-point lead reduced to just four late in the game.

Tre White led Louisville (6-15, 1-9) with a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds. Mike James added eight points for the Cardinals, who dropped their sixth straight game. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had seven points and nine rebounds.

After holding a 12-point halftime lead, Clemson opened the second half on a 9-1 run, jumping out to a 43-23 lead with 17:31 left.

White's jump shot cut the Louisville deficit to 16. But back-to-back 3-pointers from Hunter and Chauncey Wiggins, followed by Jack Clark's dunk, ignited the Clemson crowd, pushing the lead to 55-31 with 10:44 left.

Six straight points from White helped Louisville cut into the Clemson lead, trailing by just 14 points at the 8:27 mark.

After starting 0-for-16, Louisville's first 3-pointer of the game came with 6:21 left, as James cut the deficit to 10.

White's free throw got the deficit down to six, before Hall scored four straight points for Clemson. White knocked down a triple with 29 seconds left, cutting the deficit to four.

Clemson then connected on its last four free throws, escaping with the six-point win.

Neither team jumped out to an impressive offensive start, with Louisville leading 10-9 at the 11:52 mark.

After Mike James' two free throws gave the Cardinals a three-point lead, Clemson answered with a 13-4 run that was capped by Wiggins' mid-range jump shot with 3:41 left.

From there, the Tigers finished the half on a 10-4 run, taking a 34-22 advantage at halftime. Clemson was led by Hunter's 11 first-half points, followed by Hall's 10. Louisville made just 8 of 33 shots and missed all 11 3-point attempts.

Clemson improved to 6-0 at home against Louisville since the Cardinals joined the ACC in the 2014-15 season.

—Field Level Media