PJ Hall scored a team-high 25 points, leading Clemson to a 70-64 win over visiting Louisville on Tuesday.
Chase Hunter added 16 points for Clemson (14-6, 4-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), which rebounded from a one-point loss at then-No.12 Duke on Saturday. Joseph Girard III collected 13 points for the Tigers, who saw their 24-point lead reduced to just four late in the game.
Tre White led Louisville (6-15, 1-9) with a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds. Mike James added eight points for the Cardinals, who dropped their sixth straight game. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield had seven points and nine rebounds.
After holding a 12-point halftime lead, Clemson opened the second half on a 9-1 run, jumping out to a 43-23 lead with 17:31 left.
White's jump shot cut the Louisville deficit to 16. But back-to-back 3-pointers from Hunter and Chauncey Wiggins, followed by Jack Clark's dunk, ignited the Clemson crowd, pushing the lead to 55-31 with 10:44 left.
Six straight points from White helped Louisville cut into the Clemson lead, trailing by just 14 points at the 8:27 mark.
After starting 0-for-16, Louisville's first 3-pointer of the game came with 6:21 left, as James cut the deficit to 10.
White's free throw got the deficit down to six, before Hall scored four straight points for Clemson. White knocked down a triple with 29 seconds left, cutting the deficit to four.
Clemson then connected on its last four free throws, escaping with the six-point win.
Neither team jumped out to an impressive offensive start, with Louisville leading 10-9 at the 11:52 mark.
After Mike James' two free throws gave the Cardinals a three-point lead, Clemson answered with a 13-4 run that was capped by Wiggins' mid-range jump shot with 3:41 left.
From there, the Tigers finished the half on a 10-4 run, taking a 34-22 advantage at halftime. Clemson was led by Hunter's 11 first-half points, followed by Hall's 10. Louisville made just 8 of 33 shots and missed all 11 3-point attempts.
Clemson improved to 6-0 at home against Louisville since the Cardinals joined the ACC in the 2014-15 season.
--Field Level Media
Louisville | Clemson | |
Tre White 29 | Scoring | PJ Hall 25 |
Tre White 2 | Assists | Chauncey Wiggins 4 |
Tre White 14 | Rebounds | Ian Schieffelin 8 |
Tre White 6 | Free Throws Made | PJ Hall 7 |
Tre White 2 | Steals | RJ Godfrey 1 |
N/A | Blocks | Chauncey Wiggins 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Louisville | 64 | 34.4 | 2-20 | 18-23 | 4 | 44 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
Clemson | 70 | 43.1 | 5-22 | 21-25 | 13 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 13 |