Georgetown Hoyas handed Clemson Tigers their first defeat of the season following an entertaining college basketball showdown at Littlejohn Coliseum on Friday night. Georgetown held off a fierce second-half rally to close out the victory, according to Shakin The Southland.
Center Vince Iwuchukwu delivered a commanding performance inside the paint for the visitors. The big man racked up a double-double, finishing the contest with 20 points and 10 rebounds to help Georgetown maintain control in crucial moments.
The Hoyas took charge of the encounter during the opening period. After an evenly matched start, Georgetown went on a heavy scoring run to open up a comfortable gap, heading into the halftime break with a 47-32 advantage.
Clemson came out firing in the second period, led by Cole Certa and Ace Buckner, who finished with 14 and 20 points respectively. A dunk by David Faulkner cut the deficit to just four points before Certa sank a three-pointer with eight minutes remaining to briefly hand Clemson a 62-61 lead.
However, Georgetown responded immediately through their backcourt pairing of Elmarko Jackson and Jaland Lowe. Lowe paced the Hoyas with a game-high 21 points, while Jackson chipped in with 17 points, stepping up with vital baskets down the stretch.
Iwuchukwu sealed the contest with an emphatic dunk right as the final buzzer sounded, thwarting Clemson's late press after a late Chase Thompson three-pointer had trimmed the gap to five points.
The result marks Clemson's first defeat in four games this campaign, moving their overall record to 3-1. The Tigers will attempt to bounce back on Monday when they host The Citadel.
