CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — RJ Godfrey had 11 points and eight rebounds and Clemson had a hot first half to beat Wake Forest 71-62 on Wednesday night to advance to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
Fifth-seeded Clemson (23-9) made 13 3-pointers in the first 12-plus minutes, including seven to lead 29-18. The Tigers shot 9-of-18 from the field in the first half. Clemson’s reserves did a lot of damage, shooting 5-for-6 from 3-point range as the Tigers led 41-23 at halftime.
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The only free throws of the first half were two missed free throws by Clemson’s Nick Davidson with 5:42 left.
Clemson led 52-32 after 6 1/2 minutes of the second half as Demon Deacons’ Nate Calmese scored nine points on a 3-pointer, a 3-pointer from the free throw line and another 3-pointer.
Clemson led by 16 points with seven minutes left, but Wake Forest cut the deficit to eight points, and the Tigers missed nine straight shots and Godfrey missed three straight on the front end of a 1-1 deficit. Ace Buckner’s layup ended the absurdity, and the Tigers made six free throws in the final 64 seconds to end the game.
Juke Harris scored 22 points to lead 13th-seeded Wake Forest (17-16). This was his 33rd consecutive game scoring in double figures, setting a new school record for him. Kalmes scored 20 points and Trayvon Spillers had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
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Clemson had 10 players play at least 10 minutes and all of them scored at least three points, although Godfrey was the only one to score in double figures.
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Clemson will face fourth-seeded North Carolina in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
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