Wiggins' career-high, Schieffelin double-double lead Tigers past Gamecocks in rivalry game

Schieffelin grabbed 12 rebounds in the win (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Dec 06 22:34:23 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – The rivalry game belongs to Clemson thanks to a strong second half and a career-high 15 points from Chauncey Wiggins.

No. 24 Clemson overcame an 11-point second-half deficit and held on late to defeat arch-rival South Carolina 72-67 in Littlejohn Coliseum Wednesday night. It was Clemson’s third win when trailing at the half this season.

It is the largest halftime deficit overcome to gain victory by the Tigers over South Carolina in the series' history. The previous was five points back in 1992.

Clemson improves to 8-0 on the season, while South Carolina suffers its first loss and falls to 7-1. Clemson is now 13-3 in its last 16 games against SEC foes, including 5-2 against the Gamecocks. Head coach Brad Brownell is now 7-6 against South Carolina in his tenure.

"I thought both teams played really hard. It wasn't one of the prettier basketball games at times, but the competitive spirit by the kids on both teams was really high," Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. "And will to win, I thought both teams guarded and really bothered each other at times. The game was very physical on both ends, so it was hard to finish some plays around the basket. I'm pleased with our guys for finding a way to win more of a defensive type game. We've had some games where we've really shot the ball well and won shooting it. Tonight we won because we guarded better.

Wiggins posted a big second half and led Clemson with 15 points. He shot 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, including back-to-back three-pointers late that gave the Tigers the push they needed. PJ Hall added 14, while Joseph Girard and Ian Schieffelin turned in another superlative performance with 12 rebounds and two steals.

Clemson was 8-of-18 from three-point range and 14-for-20 from the free-throw line.

The first half was a half of runs for both teams, but it was a late lack of a run for the Tigers that cost them. South Carolina jumped out to a 10-2 lead just three minutes into the game, but Hall scored five in a 7-0 run that made it 10-9.

Clemson took a brief lead – at 14-13 – on a free throw by Bas Leyte, but Meechie Johnson’s 3-pointer capped an 8-0 run for the Gamecocks and a 21-14 lead. Clemson later went on a 7-0 run, tying the score at 23-23 with 7:40 remaining in the first half.

However, the Tigers went the rest of the half without scoring, with turnovers and missed shots leading to a 30-23 Gamecock lead at intermission.

Five minutes into the second half, it was more of the same for the Tigers, who were missing easy shots and allowed the Gamecocks to get free for points. Johnson made two free throws off a foul on the fast break, and the Gamecocks led by 11 at 44-33.

The Tigers finally found the range and went on a 10-0 run of its own. Girard hit a 3-pointer that made it 44-42, and RJ Godfrey bullied his way inside for a shot off the glass that tied the score at 44 with just over 11 minutes remaining.

With South Carolina leading 51-48, Wiggins drained back-to-back three-pointers to put Clemson 54-51. The teams traded buckets over the next several minutes, but Chase Hunter’s 3-pointer brought the crowd to its feet and gave Clemson a 65-59 advantage with 1:52 to play.

“I thought Ian's rebounding late was really good, and we had some timely offensive baskets. Our execution in the second half was better. I thought we were a little just so amped up. We missed some shots around the rim that we sometimes make. But South Carolina is a very good team. Lamont does a really good job, and I think they're going to have a great year too.”

The Gamecocks never got closer than four the rest of the way as the Tigers hit seven free throws in the final 37 seconds.

Clemson travels to Toronto to play TCU on Saturday at 4 pm in the Hall of Fame series, then travels to Memphis a week later.