RJ Godfrey supplied 11 points and eight rebounds to lead a balanced attack as fifth-seeded Clemson topped 13th-seeded Wake Forest 71-62 in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C.
Nick Davidson, Ace Buckner, Butta Johnson and Dillon Hunter added eight points each as the Tigers (23-9) advanced to a quarterfinal matchup with fourth-seeded North Carolina on Thursday night.
Chase Thompson contributed nine points for Clemson, which is pursuing its first ACC tournament title since the event was established in 1954.
The Tigers used their trademark physical defense to force 12 turnovers and limit the Demon Deacons to 44.0% accuracy from the field.
Coach Brad Brownell used 10 players, each of whom was on the floor for at least 10 minutes, to wear down Wake Forest, which showed the effects of an overtime win against Virginia Tech in the opening round on Tuesday.
Clemson committed just four turnovers and its reserves outscored those of Wake Forest 34-20.
The Tigers missed their final 12 attempts from 3-point range but built a 20-point lead by making 10 of their first 19 tries from deep. Seven Clemson players connected from distance, including reserve Dallas Thomas who made both of his attempts.
Juke Harris scored 22 points to pace Wake Forest (17-16). Nate Calmese added 20 points and Tre’Von Spillers contributed 15 points and 12 rebounds.
In the opening minutes, Wake Forest scored two consecutive baskets to take a 5-2 lead. After that, the Demon Deacons didn’t string together two straight for the rest of the half.
At the other end of the floor, Clemson rained 3-pointers. Two early triples by Johnson put the Tigers in front 8-7 and they kept adding to their advantage.
Back-to-back triples by Thomas and Buckner gave Clemson a 16-9 lead. Two more from Buckner and Carter Welling gave the Tigers their first double-digit margin, 27-16 with 7:50 left.
Triples from Thomas and Jake Wahlin in the final five minutes helped Clemson stretch its edge to 41-23 at the break.
The Demon Deacons trailed by their largest margin, 52-32, before Calmese went on a personal nine-point run, hitting two 3-pointers sandwiched around three free throws.
Calmese’s spree made it 52-41 with 11:29 left. But after that, Wake Forest never got the deficit under eight.
Welling suffered a right knee injury in the first half and was seen on crutches during the second half.
Losing Welling, the tallest Tiger at 6-foot-11, would be a blow. He is the team’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder, averaging 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game entering the tournament.
–Field Level Media
