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Published Dec 29, 2020
Clemson pulls away down stretch for 77-67 win over No. 18 FSU Basketball
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Ira Schoffel  •  TheOsceola
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Even without a raucous capacity crowd, Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum continues to be a very challenging venue for the Florida State men's basketball team.

One year ago, the Seminoles dropped a last-second decision at Clemson -- one of only four ACC losses for FSU all season. On Tuesday night, the Tigers would need no such theatrics while playing before a limited number of fans.

Despite trailing by five points at halftime, Clemson took control midway through the second half -- thanks in part to a large free-throw disparity -- and cruised to a 77-67 victory. The win improved the Tigers' record to 7-1 and 1-1 in ACC play, while the No. 18 Seminoles fell to 5-2, 1-1.

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Box Score: Clemson 77, No. 18 FSU 67

Clemson won despite turning in a brutal shooting performance in the first half. The Tigers connected on just 9 of 35 shots from the field and 2 of 15 from 3-point range before halftime.

But Clemson took advantage of numerous trips to the free-throw line in the second half to pull even, and then the Tigers found their shooting stroke down the stretch to pull out the win.

Clemson scored 24 of its points on free throws -- on 33 attempts -- while FSU went 6 of 9 from the charity stripe. The Seminoles were called for 24 personal fouls, compared to 14 for the Tigers.

"They shot 33 free throws, we shot 9," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "Therein lies the loss. I thought they played a lot more aggressive than us. ... I didn't think we matched that effort."

FSU, which was playing its first road game of the season, was led offensively by freshman Scottie Barnes with 14 points and senior M.J. Walker with 11. Only four of Walker's points came in the second half

Senior Clyde Trapp led Clemson with 15 points, while junior Nick Honor added 13.

FSU returns to action this Saturday at home against Duke (8 p.m., ESPN2).

"We don't have a lot of time to reflect on this one because we probably have a more talented team coming in on Saturday," Hamilton said.

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