CLEMSON – Memphis overcame a late five-point deficit in regulation to beat No. 16 Clemson 87-82 in overtime on Saturday inside Littlejohn Coliseum.

Chase Hunter’s 3-point shot with under ten seconds left that would have tied it up was off the mark and went out of bounds, allowing Memphis to ice it with two free throws on the other end.

The two teams battled back and forth in the second half, with Clemson overcoming an eight-point deficit and then Memphis coming back from down five with just over a minute remaining to tie it and send it into overtime.

Clemson had no answer for Colby Rogers, who helped pace Memphis with 22 points and shot 4-of-7 from behind the 3-point line. Tyreese Hunter also torched the Tigers, scoring 23 points, shooting 7-of-11 from deep.

Viktor Lakhin led Clemson with 23 points while Chase Hunter added 17 and Ian Schieffelin pitched in with 17, as well. Lakhin also pulled down 11 boards, giving him his first double-double this season.

Hunter had a chance to win it in regulation but a long 3-point attempt was well off the mark as time expired.

Clemson just could not get it going from the perimeter, finishing just 10-of-31 from beyond the arc, while Memphis was 12-of-25. Clemson did outscore Memphis in the paint 36-32.

Memphis held Clemson scoreless for more than five minutes to start the game, as Memphis began on a 10-0 run. Lakhin’s 3-pointer at the 14:16 mark was the first basket of the contest for Clemson, as the team shot just 1-of-9 from the field over the first seven-plus minutes.

Memphis had its own shooting struggles early on, including six turnovers, that helped keep Clemson in it. By the 7:17 mark, Memphis led by just three at 21-18. However, Memphis would hit on 8-of-10 and push the lead back out to 27-20 before Clemson went on a little run capped by back-to-back 3-point buckets by Schieffelin and Jaeden Zackery that put Clemson up 32-30. Memphis then got a 3-point basket from Tyrese Hunter as time was expiring in the first half to take a 33-32 lead into the break.

The loss drops Clemson to 9-2 on the season, while Memphis moves to 8-2.

Turning Point

With Clemson trailing 83-81, Schieffelin went to the free-throw line with a chance to tie it up. He would miss the first before making the second. Clemson would foul on the other end and Memphis drained both attempts putting the other Tigers up by three. Chase Hunter’s attempt to tied it with under 10 seconds left was off the mark.

Injury Update

Ace Buckner (redshirt); Dallas Thomas (redshirt)

Up Next

Clemson travels to Columbia to take on the rival Gamecocks on Tuesday. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.

A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!