Ian Schieffelin's career night drives Clemson past Notre Dame |
Grayson Mann
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- Wednesday, February 26 2025
CLEMSON - On a night when a few Clemson students dressed up like Harry Potter characters, Ian Schieffelin turned out to be a wizard on the home floor.
Clemson’s (23-5, 15-2 ACC) strong second half helped pave the way for a comfortable win over Notre Dame (12-16, 6-11 ACC), taking down the Fighting Irish, 83-68. The 15 wins in ACC play are the most conference victories in program history. Clemson grabbed control early back on its home floor, shooting close to 70% in the first eight minutes of action. That hot start was nothing more than a flash in the pan for the first half, as a struggle for the Tiger offense was on the horizon. Myles Foster dropped a tough basket and got to the line at the 12-minute mark, and it appeared to be smooth sailing in the midweek conference clash. But the offense missed 12 straight shots as the Fighting Irish claimed its first lead of the night with 6:28 to go in the first half. The nearly packed crowd began to feel a sense of uneasiness, with the offense searching for any answer. Enter Schieffelin. Schieffelin scored 10 straight to break a seven-minute drought, with the Littlejohn crowd erupting in relief as the offense centered its groove around its senior forward. He finished the half with 16, delivering his usual bruises to opposing defenses inside while knocking down two treys. He wasn’t done there, continuing to lead the way in the second half, picking up a few career achievements along the way. Schieffelin reached 1,000 career points and secured a new career high in points (24) in what was a monumental night for his Clemson tenure. Much like Schieffelin’s numbers on the box score, the Tigers’ lead grew in the second half, leading the Fighting Irish by as much as 18 in Littlejohn. Clemson’s ball movement was at a season-high in Dallas against SMU, with the offense recording 24 assists on 28 makes. Back at home, the fluidity of the unit continued to groove, with the offense assisting on 23 of its 30 made shots. Viktor Lakhin finished with 18 points, logging double figures in back-to-back contests. The front court duo of Chase Hunter and Jaeden Zackery combined for 19 points. Jake Heidbreder finished with 14 points, knocking down four of his seven attempts from beyond the arc. It is Heidbreder's fourth game this season logging double figures, with his shooting boosting the Tigers as they closed out the Fighting Irish. The Tigers have clinched a double-bye in the ACC Tournament for the second time in three seasons. Clemson begins March in Charlottesville with a road clash against Virginia on Saturday, March 1st, at noon on ESPN2.
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