Clemson cruises in exhibition action over Presbyterian

Butta Johnson reached double figures early in the first half, knocking down three straight three pointers.

Grayson Mann · Staff Writer · Friday, October 17 2025

CLEMSON - Clemson welcomed Presbyterian to Littlejohn on Friday night in what was a final appetizer for the 2025 season.

Butta Johnson's first-half fireworks might be enough to temporarily satisfy the appetite for basketball in Littlejohn, helping guide the Tigers to a 83-44 victory over the Blue Hose.

The first five minutes served as a warm-up to work out the kinks of a new season, with the first unit opening the gate with some sloppy play. Brad Brownell deployed the Tigers' second unit, and the offensive firepower came alive.

Johnson, the transfer guard from UAB, connected on three straight makes from deep, finishing with a team-high 11 points on the night. His presence on both sides of the ball provided a needed spark for a team that was shaking off some rust in the first half.

The Blue Hose went over eight minutes without a basket as the first half came to a close, being the most consistent aspect of the evening for the Tigers. Clemson recorded four blocks and four steals before halftime, imposing its will with size and length in the front and backcourt.

It was all capped off by a 25-4 run to end the half that turned a sloppy start into separation on the scoreboard.

Brownell has called this a mostly new group, but one of the Tigers' familiar faces returned to Littlejohn.

Senior forward RJ Godfrey suffered an initial injury that sent him to the trainer's table, but quickly reassured Tiger fans he was fine after scoring seven straight points.

He established some dominance down by the basket, easily out-muscling the Blue Hose defenders that were in between him and putting points on the board.

Godfrey finished with seven points to close the evening, not returning to the action in the second half.

Like Johnson, Utah Valley transfer Carter Welling provided an offensive spark off the bench.

Welling would finish with eight points, helping the Tigers maintain a balanced attack.

Freshman guard Zac Foster cracked double digits in the second half, finishing with 10 points on the evening. Nevada transfer Nick Davidson also logged double figures, coming alive late to finish with 12 points.

Jestin Porter logged a team high 15 points, bringing the total to four Tigers who finished with double figures in exhibition action.

The Tigers recorded 13 assists on 32 made baskets.

Clemson opens the regular season against New Hampshire on Monday, November 3, at 7:00 p.m. on the ACC Network Extra.