Clemson's depth shines in bounce-back victory over North Alabama |
Grayson Mann
· · 10 hours ago
CLEMSON - Grit after dark on a Monday night can be tough to stay awake for.
For those trying to get to bed on time, North Alabama sticking around past halftime probably wasn't ideal. Still, the Tigers aimed to bounce back from a loss to Georgetown, and they got back in the win column two days later, defeating North Alabama (2-3) 81-61. With such a quick turnaround following Saturday's loss, Brad Brownell needed an injection of energy to pick up the pace. Enter Zac Foster. The freshman guard jumped off the bench for nine first-half points in just nine minutes of play. Foster, the former four-star guard, has displayed athleticism on both sides of the court, giving fans a glimpse into the future of the program. Foster displayed his range from deep early, not hesitating beyond the arc for easy makes in space. He combined that with some dimes to his teammates, finishing with six assists. The freshman wrapped up his outing with 14 points, closing the evening on quite the alley-oop jam. Coming off the bench for the first time this season, RJ Godfrey provided a boost along with the freshman. His contributions were found inside, dominated by the post, connecting on five of his first five attempts for 10 first-half points. Against a smaller Lions squad, Godfrey didn't waste any time asserting his will by the glass, bruising his way to the cup with force. Godfrey finished with a team-high 16 points while adding five rebounds. For the senior forward, he was on a mission to help the team respond after a loss, taking every defeat very personally. "We got back from Georgetown, and I think we had a mission just to respond," Godfrey said. "I think after the game, Brownell wrote down, respond, and just for me personally, I took that personally, and I think every loss here, I don't only feel for myself, but I feel for the team and y'all, I just, obviously, being a competitor, you want to win every game." Brownell's depth was on full display once again on Monday evening. Led by Godfrey and Foster, the bench points skyrocketed in Clemson's favor, outscoring North Alabama 44-22. With a mix-up of the starting five, Jestin Porter also came off the bench for the Tigers, but did enough to provide a positive contribution in a smaller role. He added eight points to the mix, collecting shots from deep while also driving to the basket for opportunities at the line. The Tigers were pushed around on the glass against Georgetown, and the script was certainly flipped back home. Facing the Lions, Clemson took advantage of a smaller team, out-rebounding the opposition 46-25. Freshman Ace Buckner dropped eight points in his first career start. Utah transfer Jake Wahlin added a team-high 11 rebounds. Top transfer portal addition Nick Davidson only logged 17 minutes on Monday night, a season low for the former Nevada standout. The Tigers led by as much as 23 points during the bounce-back victory. Clemson will square off with West Virginia on Friday, November 23, in the Charleston Classic at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. OH MY GOODNESS ZAC🤯
📺ACCN pic.twitter.com/wrnTKSRYyH
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