Clemson basketball ends losing streak with big win over Louisville

For two weeks, Clemson basketball’s postseason hopes felt like they were slipping through its fingers.

A four-game losing streak and a stretch of cold shooting had the Tigers squarely on the bubble. On Saturday afternoon, though, they responded the way a tournament team should.

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Behind 16 points from Jestin Porter, Clemson knocked off No. 24 Louisville, 80-75, at Littlejohn Coliseum, delivering a Quad 1 win that could carry serious weight in March.

Porter was sharp from the perimeter, hitting 4-of-8 from three-point range. His biggest shots came in the second half. After pushing the ball up the floor for a layup that made it 60-49 with 8:40 to play, Clemson caught a break on Louisville’s inbounds pass. Nick Davidson secured the loose ball and quickly found Porter on the wing, where he buried a three to stretch the lead. Another triple from Porter with 5:43 left, followed by one from Ace Buckner, helped build a 14-point cushion.

Clemson’s defense also looked more like itself.

Louisville entered the game averaging 86 points per outing, but the Tigers disrupted that rhythm early. They forced four turnovers in the first nine minutes and turned that energy into offense. Clemson shot 70 percent from the floor during that early stretch, setting the tone in front of a loud home crowd.

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R.J. Godfrey added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Buckner finished with 11 off the bench. In total, nine Tigers scored at least four points, and five reached seven or more. Clemson recorded 12 assists and showed the kind of balance that had been missing during the skid.

The Tigers improved to 21-8 overall and 11-5 in ACC play. They now sit at 4-5 in Quad 1 games and 10-7 combined in Quad 1 and Quad 2 matchups, numbers that likely have them on the right side of the bubble with two regular-season games and the ACC Tournament still ahead.