Clemson dominates in win over Wake Forest in ACC Tournament 2nd round

· Yahoo Sports

Clemsonbasketball opened the ACC Tournament with a strong performance on Wednesday night, building a large first-half lead before finishing off Wake Forest 71-62 in the second round at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

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The fifth-seeded Tigers came out firing from deep and quickly created separation. By halftime, Clemson had built an 18-point advantage and carried a 41-23 lead into the locker room after knocking down nine three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes.

Wake Forest pushed back in the second half and trimmed the margin to 63-53 late in the game. The Demon Deacons continued to chip away, eventually pulling within eight points with just over two minutes remaining. Clemson struggled at the free-throw line during that stretch, missing several chances to extend the lead.

Ace Buckner provided the key moment down the stretch. With just over a minute left, he drove to the basket and finished a layup to push the Tigers’ lead back to double digits and halt Wake Forest’s momentum. Dillon Hunter and Butta Johnson followed by converting six straight free throws in the final minute to secure the win.

Clemson’s offense was balanced throughout the night. RJ Godfrey led the Tigers with 11 points and six rebounds, while Chase Thompson added nine points, one shy of his career-high. Nick Davidson and Ace Buckner each scored eight points, with Davidson also grabbing six rebounds. Dallas Thomas finished with six points.

The Tigers built their early advantage behind a barrage of three-pointers. Clemson connected on six of its first 10 attempts from long range, including back-to-back threes from Thompson and Buckner that pushed the lead to 24-16 midway through the first half. Carter Welling and Godfrey later added buckets to extend the margin, and Jake Wahlin knocked down another three as Clemson stretched the lead to 37-20 late in the half.

However, the shooting cooled off after the break. Clemson finished just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc in the second half after going 9-of-18 from three before halftime.

The Tigers also suffered an injury setback late in the first half. Carter Welling went down with what appeared to be a right knee injury and had to be helped off the floor before heading to the locker room. He did not return and finished with five points and five rebounds.

Despite Wake Forest showing signs of a comeback in the final minutes, Clemson maintained enough control to close out the victory.

With the win, Clemson advances to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. The fourth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels await next, with tipoff scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. North Carolina took the first meeting between the teams earlier this month, winning 67-63 in Chapel Hill.

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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson basketball beats Wake Forest in 2nd round of ACC Tournament

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