RJ Godfrey scored 17 points and reserve Butta Johnson connected on three clutch second-half 3-point shots as host Clemson knocked off No. 24 SMU 74-70 on Wednesday night.
It was an energized conference home opener for the Tigers (13-3, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have a six-game winning streak. Dillon Hunter had 10 points.
Boopie Miller’s 23 points paced SMU (12-3, 1-1), while Samet Yigitoglu had 14 points and 11 rebounds and B.J. Edwards and Jaron Pierre Jr. added 12 points apiece. Miller finished 11 for 11 on free throws and provided two of the Mustangs’ six 3-point baskets.
Clemson joined No. 6 Duke and Miami as the only ACC teams without a conference loss. The Tigers overcame Jestin Porter’s 2-for-12 shooting from the field after he poured in a season-high 21 points Saturday at Pitt.
SMU, playing as a ranked team for the first time since 2017 after toppling North Carolina on Saturday, shot 37.3% from the floor.
Miller twice hit shots inside of 4 1/2 minutes remaining that brought the Mustangs within six points. Edwards connected on two free throws with 2:53 left to close the gap to 68-63.
Johnson’s second-chance 3-pointer was the response Clemson needed. Then the Mustangs scored their next four points on free throws and regained possession with about 50 seconds to play.
Miller failed to convert on the next shot before one free throw from Jake Wahlin and two foul shots from Hunter allowed Clemson to seal the outcome.
Earlier, SMU pulled within 42-37 before Clemson’s 8-0 spurt, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Johnson in a 32-second span. The 50-37 score provided the Tigers’ biggest spread to that point.
Trailing 59-47 with less than eight minutes left, the only thing keeping the Mustangs in contention was 18-for-19 free-throw shooting. SMU finished 26 of 29 from the line.
Clemson took control early with five players scoring during a 12-0 run that delivered a 25-13 lead.
–Field Level Media
