CLEMSON, S.C. — Chauncey Wiggins scored 13 of his career high 15 points in the second half, Ian Schieffelin had 12 points and 12 rebounds and No. 24 Clemson rallied to beat South Carolina 72-67 on Wednesday night.
The game marked the first time in the 173-game series between the instate rivals — dating to the 1912-13 season — that both teams went in 7-0.
Schieffelin — who picked up his fourth personal foul moments earlier — hit a 3-pointer, grabbed a rebound on the other end and then threw down a contested two-hand dunk in a 29-second span to give Clemson a 59-56 lead with 4:53 to play.
Schieffelin’s steal led to a Chase Hunter layup with 3:04 left. After PJ Hall missed the second of two free throws, Schieffelin sent the offensive rebound to Hunter who gave the Tigers a 65-59 lead — their biggest of the game — with 1:52 remaining.
Hall had 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, Joseph Girard III added 12 points for Clemson (8-0) and Hunter scored all of his 10 points in the second half.
Meechie Johnson hit 6 of 10 from 3-point range and led South Carolina with 26 points. B.J. Mack had 10 points and seven rebounds and Stephen Clark — who left the game due to an injury with about 7 minutes to play and did not return — also scored 10.
Johnson made two free throws to give South Carolina (7-1) an 11-point lead — its biggest of the game — with 15 minutes left. RJ Godfrey sandwiched two layups around a 3-pointer by Girard to tie it 4 minutes later and Ta’Lon Cooper answered with a 3 with 10:32 remaining.
Wiggins made back-to-back 3s to put Clemson up 54-51 before Johnson missed a 3-point shot on the other end but Collin Murray-Boyles grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it back to Johnson at the same spot for a 3-pointer to tie it with 6:50 left.
UP NEXT
South Carolina: The Gamecocks play Saturday at East Carolina
Clemson: The Tigers head north for a matchup with TCU on Saturday at the 2023 Hall of Fame Series in Toronto