Clemson overcame a sluggish start to build a 24-point lead midway through the second half, then had to do everything it could to hold on for a 70-64 victory over Louisville in ACC play Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers (14-6 overall, 4-5 ACC) used a 33-9 run from the two-minute mark of the first half to the 13-minute clip of the second half to open up a 55-31 lead that was capped off by a dunk from Jack Clark.
But some sloppy play down the stretch by Clemson — including turnovers and lackadaisical, uninspired play — allowed the Cardinals (6-15, 1-9) to crawl back into it and trim the lead to four at 66-62 with 29 seconds to play.
Clemson held on after Louisville turned the ball back over with 26 seconds left. The Tigers made four free throws from there to close out the win.
PJ Hall had another strong outing for Clemson with 25 points, the 10th time this season that Hall has reached the 20-point plateau. Chase Hunter added 16 points and Joe Girard had 13.
Tre White scored a game-high 29 points to lead Louisville. Mike James, the Cardinals’ leading scorer coming into the night, was held to just 1-of-5 shooting from the floor and managed only eight points.
Clemson returns to action Saturday when the Tigers host Virginia (15-5, 6-3) at 2 p.m. EST at Littlejohn Coliseum. The game will be televised by ESPN.