CLEMSON- Brad Brownell's Tigers remained unbeaten and handed South Carolina its first loss as Clemson knocked off the rival Gamecocks 72-67 on Wednesday inside a packed Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers move to 8-0 with the win, while South Carolina drops to 7-1.
"Happy for our players, happy for our students, our fans, all of Clemson nation," Brownell said. "This is an important game. We lost a game last year down there on a last-second shot and this was one we wanted to win. I think tonight's crowd was really good for the state of South Carolina for basketball. Both teams playing well. Unbelievable basketball environment. This is what it should be."
South Carolina opened the game with a 10-2 run and then took a 30-23 lead into halftime, as Meechie Johnson had 11 points in the opening half.
Then, after trailing by as many as 11 in the second half, Clemson battled back to take a 48-47 lead on a Josh Beadle layup with 9:21 remaining. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Chauncey Wiggins then put the Tigers up 54-51, with just over seven minutes left to play.
After two free throws by BJ Mack put the Gamecocks back up by two, Ian Schieffelin drilled a three, then put down a monstrous dunk on the next Clemson possession, giving the Tigers a 59-56 lead with just over four minutes left.
Chase Hunter would then hit his first 3-point basket of the game to extend the lead to 65-59 with 1:30 left. A Mack layup pulled the Gamecocks to within 65-61, but they would never get any closer.
"I thought both teams played really hard," Brownell said. "It was not one of the prettier basketball games at times, but the competitive spirit by both teams was really high. Will to win."
Wiggins paced the Tigers, scoring a career-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. PJ Hall added 14 and Joe Girard also pitched in with 12. Hall also had 8 rebounds and 4 blocks, as Clemson finished with seven blocks as a team on the night.
Schieffelin added 12 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, giving him a double-double. Hunter also finished with 10, giving Clemson five players that finished with double digits in scoring.
Brownell talked about how crucial Schieffelin has been not only tonight, but all season, particularly doing the dirty work in the paint.
"You don't win," he said. "There is a will, a competitive spirit, a fight, a toughness. He has great hands. He is a better athlete than people think. He is strong and he wants the ball. He has a willingness to rebound, which is vital. His rebounding has really helped us."
Johnson paced the Gamecocks with 24, shooting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Player of the Game: Wiggins was huge for the Tigers in this one, scoring 13 of his points in the second half. He finished 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 2-for-2 from the line, adding one rebound and one assist. His back-to-back 3-pointers were huge.
Honorable mention goes to Schieffelin for the double-double effort. The Tigers had 16 second chance points in the game, much if that due to Schieffelin's effort on the glass.
Stat of the Game: After shooting just 25% from beyond the arc in the first half, Clemson found its stroke in the second. The Tigers shot 60% over the final 20 minutes. It was the difference in the game.
Up Next: Clemson heads to Toronto to play TCU on Saturday in the Discount Tire Hall of Fame Series. Tipoff is set for 4 pm.