New-Look Clemson Basketball Rolls Presbyterian in Exhibition

The Clemson Tigers were back on the hardwood on Friday night, pummeling Presbyterian at Littlejohn Coliseum with an 83-44 score. 

A lot of eyes were on head coach Brad Brownell’s new-look team, who only return three players on scholarship from last season. However, the team delivered, especially defensively, holding the Blue Hose to several scoring droughts. 

Clemson struggled early, being unable to score its first field goal of the game until almost five minutes into the game. After early droughts themselves, the Tigers were able to find the bottom of the basket for the remainder of the contest. 

The frontcourt is filled with plenty of new Tigers, and they displayed a strong defensive prowess on Friday night. Nevada transfer Nick Davidson, Georgia transfer RJ Godfrey and Utah transfer Jake Wahlin got the start, and they all recorded at least a block in the win. 

Defense caused the game to get out of hand. Clemson forced 22 turnovers on Presbyterian while only committing six turnovers of its own. The Tigers turned the Blue Hose’s turnovers into 24 points, a majority in the second half. 

The team forced 12 steals and six blocks in the win, all coming from different pieces.

Zac Foster and Chase Thompson were the two notable names from Brownell’s 2025 freshman class, and both stood out for Clemson in the exhibition. Foster was the primary ball handler when starter Dillon Hunter was not in the game, and he knocked down two threes and finished with 10 points and two assists. 

Thompson used a chasedown block and six points of his own to fuel a strong performance. With no rotation set in stone just yet, don’t be surprised if the freshmen are needed throughout the season, who look physically ready to play in the ACC. 

Four Tigers scored double-digits in the win. Guard Jestin Porter led the scoring with 15 points, all in the second half. Davidson finished with 12 points, Butta Johnson finished with 11 and Foster finished with 10 points.  Both Davidson and Porter scored double-digit points in the second half to pull away. 

Brownell’s team shot 54.8% from the field in the win. Clemson only scored four threes, but didn’t shoot the ball much from afar, using transition scoring and its frontcourt to score underneath. 

Clemson is back in action on Nov. 3 for its official season opener at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers will play New Hampshire to open the 2025-26 campaign.