WATCH: Nique Clifford drops the hammer on No. 16 USC

NIQUE. CLIFFORD. HAMMER.

The Colorado Buffaloes and No. 16 USC Trojans met for a massive Thursday night showdown in Boulder.

Prior to the tip, Nique Clifford was inserted into the starting lineup with Elijah Parquet out due to an injury. The 6-foot-6 guard made his presence known in a big way during his first career start.

In the second half, Clifford sparked a huge Buffs’ run with a monster dunk that sent the Events Center into a wild celebration.

Clifford flashed the athleticism in an impressive outing for him, and Tad Boyle should be pleased.

Unfortunately, the Buffs fell to USC, 61-58, but Clifford’s dunk was unreal.

The sophomore from Colorado Springs followed that up with a clutch 3-pointer to extend the Buffs’ run to 10-0 before the Trojans put an end to it.

That run changed things drastically, but the Trojans were soon able to regain the lead for good.

Nonetheless, the dunk by Clifford will be watched on repeat for a long time. He finished the game with just five points but added seven boards and catapulted the Buffs’ huge run in the second half with that hammer.

Here are some more angles:

The Buffs have no time to sit around and wait, as they face the No. 9 UCLA Bruins on Saturday night in another huge game.

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