It was physical. It was tough. It was chippy. It was all you want to see in a rivalry game between two outstanding basketball teams. Unfortunately, Clemson didn't come up on top. The Gamecocks take this one, 91-88.
Physical, tough, and chippy honestly don't justly describe what took place tonight. Four Tigers were disqualified, with three fouling out and Dillon Hunter being ejected for a knucklehead move. Of the three with five fouls, only Viktor Lahkin fouled out before the end of regulation. On the other hand, South Carolina had two players foul out in overtime.
The last 90 seconds was an entire game in itself. Clemson, down by seven, makes back-to-back three-point shots from Chase Hunter. On the ensuing inbound pass, USC's Jacobi Wright fouled Jake Heidbreder, giving possession back to Clemson.
Unfortunately, the Tigers were unable to take advantage. South Carolina pushed the lead back to three with seven seconds left, but with .3 on the clock, Hunter knocked down a desperation three to send the game to overtime.
The overtime was just as exciting. Again, the Tigers found themselves down by three points. This time, with 3.4 seconds left. While he had been clutch all night, Hunter couldn't make magic happen for a second time tonight.
Speaking of Hunter, he led everyone on the floor with 27 points. However, he didn't score a point until the second half, helping the Tigers erase a halftime deficit of eight points.
After tonight, Clemson dives into the thick of its ACC schedule, starting with Wake Forest. The Tigers and Demon Decans tipoff at 2:00 PM on Saturday, December 21.