Clemson’s season came to a disappointing end in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Buoyed by a second-half surge that included 23 points from Mark Sears, No. 4 seed Alabama defeated the Tigers, 89-82, at Crypto.com Arena to advance to the Final Four.
Clemson got out to a 26-13 lead in the first half before the Crimson Tide overtook them with a 22-6 run to end the half.
Sears, who started the game 0-for-6 from behind the arc, made up for it in the second half by connecting on seven of his next eight 3-pointers.
Joe Girard ended up leading the Tigers with 19 points after a slow start, and Ian Schieffelin added 18 points. PJ Hall (14 points) and Chase Hunter (12 points) gave Clemson four players in double figures Saturday.
While the end result was a disappointment for the Tigers, Clemson fans were no less thrilled to welcome the team back home from the City of Angels after the team had made only its second all-time Elite Eight appearance.
The Clemson Athletic Department took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday night to share a pair of videos of the reception the team received from the Tiger faithful.
Watch below:
Thank you #ClemsonFamily for the warm welcome home! đ§Ąđ pic.twitter.com/8i6wqo02jm
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) April 1, 2024