Clemson battles down to the wire to pick up a close win over Stanford

Clemson’s first stop on its West Coast swing tested just about everything, patience, toughness, and late-game composure. In the end, the Tigers passed.

No. 20 Clemson leaned on defense and clutch free-throw shooting to escape with a 66-64 win at Stanford on Wednesday night, picking up another gritty road victory in ACC play.

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Nick Davidson sparked the Tigers off the bench with a team-high 16 points, while Ace Buckner added 11 and Chase Thompson chipped in 10, giving the Tigers a huge lift from their reserves. Davidson and Buckner combined to knock down four free throws in the final 24 seconds, providing the separation Clemson needed in a game that went down to the final possession.

“It was definitely a gritty win,” Davidson said afterward. “We knew it was going to be tough coming out here, but we grinded, stayed with the game plan, and that’s why we were able to pull it out.”

Clemson went more than four minutes without a made field goal late in the second half, but its defense never wavered. Stanford failed to score for over three minutes during crunch time and managed just two makes over its final nine attempts. Ebuka Okorie’s layup at the horn trimmed the margin, but the Tigers had already done enough.

The Tigers shot 46 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three-point range, while Stanford finished at 40 percent overall and 28 percent from beyond the arc. Okorie led the Cardinal with 18 points, though only six came after halftime. Aidan Cammann posted a career-high 19 for Stanford.

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The game swung multiple times. Clemson led midway through the first half before going cold late, allowing Stanford to close the half on a 13-4 run and take a 32-30 lead into the break. The Cardinal briefly stretched the advantage early in the second half, but Clemson responded with timely buckets from Buckner and Thompson to regain control.

Thompson’s sequence midway through the half, a tough finish inside followed by a deep three, gave Clemson a jolt and highlighted the Tigers’ growing reliance on their bench.

Brad Brownell praised the collective effort afterward.

“I’m really proud of this group for just finding another way to win,” Brownell said. “We needed Chase’s minutes. His speed made a difference, and we had contributions from a lot of different guys.”