Clemson struggles to keep up with Duke, stumbles on the road

Clemson’s momentum on the road finally hit a wall in Durham on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers ended their ACC road winning streak with a 67-54 loss to No. 4 Duke on No. 18/20 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, where Clemson has struggled to win in more than three decades.

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The first half was a hard-fought game that looked nothing like a typical Duke offense. Clemson’s defense was very high, and the Blue Devils only scored 31 points in the first half. Despite poor performance from the outside, they only trailed 31-26 at halftime. The Tigers ran most of their early offense in the paint, relying on the physical play of RJ Godfrey and Carter Welling while trying to fend off Duke’s early three-point burst.

Godfrey provided a steady presence in the paint, attacking mismatches and keeping Clemson within striking distance. Waring scored at the rim and at the free throw line, but a lack of outside shooting limited Clemson’s ability to build sustained momentum. Meanwhile, Duke’s shooting from long range was just right, with Isaiah Evans hitting multiple 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes to stay ahead.

Any hopes of a second-half surge were quickly dashed.

Duke came out of the locker room erupting, fueled by transition baskets, timely 3-pointers and Clemson turnovers to start the decisive first half. The deficit grew to double digits within the first few minutes, and the Tigers never really recovered. A highlight-reel alley-oop from Cameron Boozer broke the Blue Devils’ hold midway through the first half and sent the Cameron Madness into a frenzy.

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Clemson tried to respond with toughness inside and defensive effort, but the offense could never find its rhythm. The Tigers shot just over 35 percent all afternoon and made just one 3-pointer, a combination that proved difficult to overcome against one of the most efficient teams in the nation.