SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame offense just couldn’t get going in the second half against Clemson on Saturday night, as the visiting Tigers (14-3, 4-0) earned a 76-61 victory inside Purcell Pavilion. The Fighting Irish (10-6, 1-2) shot just 33.3 percent in the second half compared to the Tigers’ 48.3 percent, as Clemson outscored ND 37-27 in the second.
Clemson pounded the paint, where they outscored Notre Dame 34-18. The Tigers’ defense also forced 14 turnovers. Notre Dame found success from beyond the arc, where they were 9-21, but were only 11-26 from two-point range.
“This league is very hard and unforgiving sometimes, and you put a lot of pressure on your old guys that they have to play well. They can’t have an off night,” Glenn & Stacey Murphy Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “We’ve got to keep working and got to take pressure off each other. We got to learn from it.”
Jalen Haralson recorded a team high 18 points on 6-11 shooting, which included a career best three triples. The freshman now has 48 points through three ACC games.
Logan Imes also finished in double figures, securing a career high 13 points. The junior went 3-5 from three, 5-9 overall, plus three rebounds and two assists.
Carson Towt recorded his fourth straight game with double-digit rebounds, reeling in 10 this evening. He now has 35 boards through three ACC games. The graduate was one point shy of a double-double.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jalen Haralson began with the hot hand for the second straight game, draining his first three shots from three and starting 4-5 from the field overall. His hot start countered a potent Clemson attack, which converted its first 5-9. As a result, the game was tied at 17-all at 11:40.
The Tigers then outscored the Irish 13-6 over the next five minutes to garner a seven-point lead at 23-30. A Shrewsberry three and a Koehler baseline jumper gave the ND offense some life and cut the deficit to a one-possession game at 29-32.
Clemson’s Jestin Porter scored the final seven points for his team before the break. On the flip side, Cole Certa banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer, giving some momentum by pulling the home team to within five at 34-39.
Jalen Haralson was the lone Notre Dame player in double figures at halftime, boasting 12 points. Jestin Porter and RJ Godfrey led Clemson with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Notre Dame shot 52.2 percent in the half compared to Clemson’s 44.8 percent, but took six fewer attempts. The Irish committed nine turnovers compared to the Tigers’ three.
It was back and forth to start the half, but the physicality of the Tigers would ultimately surge them to their first double-digit lead of the game at 50-39 with 14:12 remaining.
Struggling to get going offensively, the Irish had just three points from Haralson and a basket from Koehler in the next five minutes of play to make it 57-44.
An Imes trey coupled with four free-throws split between Certa and Towt, the Irish were able to cut the deficit to seven at 61-54 with 5:44 on the clock.
The Tigers responded with a 6-0 run to make it a 13-point game yet again. The Clemson offense continued to extend their lead in the final 3:30, ultimately taking home a 15-point win in a 76-61 victory.
UP NEXT
The ACC gauntlet rolls on when a red-hot Miami arrives in South Bend on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The 14-2 Hurricanes will tip off against the Irish at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
– ND –