The No. 17 Clemson Tigers couldn’t match last year’s big win in a 60-47 loss to the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils.
In the opening minutes, it looked like Clemson might be able to pull off a second straight home win over Duke.
The Tigers looked quicker, more aggressive and more athletic than Duke, and they held an early lead.
They couldn’t maintain the lead, and a scoring drought in the second half allowed Duke to pull away.
Clemson knocked off Duke last year, 74-47, handing the Blue Devils their worst loss in more than 20 years.
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 5:03 pm by steve
The No. 16 Clemson Tigers rallied back in the second half but fell short against the No. 18 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 66-64.
Clemson actually took a two-point lead late in the second half but could not hold on for the victory.
Trevor Booker led the Tigers with 19 points and 9 rebounds.
Head coach Oliver Purnell, though disappointed by the loss, was encouraged by his team’s effort on the road against a quality team.
It was a sloppy, ugly game thanks to a lot of pressure defensively and some sloppy ball-handling.
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 6:28 pm by steve
The No. 19 Clemson Tigers came out and took care of business in an 83-64 beating of the No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels.
Trevor Booker had 21 points and Demontez Stitt added 20 and the two players led the Tigers to the big win that was capped off by fans rushing the court.
Clemson used relentless full-court pressure to turn North Carolina over 26 times, the most ever under Roy Williams.
It had been almost six years since Clemson had taken down the Tar Heels, and the players were happy to finally knock them off.
Fortunately for Clemson, they don’t have to play at North Carolina this year, which would be a tough game after beating them so bad this time around.
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 5:03 pm by steve
The Clemson Tigers used a strong defensive effort to get past the Kentucky Wildcats in the Music City Bowl, 21-13.
It was a rather quiet day for running back C.J. Spiller, as the Wildcats made it a defensive priority to key on him and make sure he didn’t single-handedly win the game.
The strategy worked pretty well, as the Tigers struggled to move the ball throughout the night. The only problem was that Kentucky’s offense struggled even more to move the chains.
Spiller was the team’s leading receiver and also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown. However, 116 total yards is hardly a big night for the Heisman Trophy candidate.
The Tigers did trail entering the fourth quarter, but a touchdown was enough to put them over the top. It’s a nice way for Clemson to end what was another up and down season.
Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 11:39 am by steve
