Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Clemson finished the game on a decisive 24–11 run, overtaking West Virginia in the final minutes to earn a 70–67 victory in the opening round of the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic on Friday at TD Arena.
The Mountaineers (5–1) led by 10 with just under 10 minutes remaining after Jasper Floyd knocked down two free throws to make it 56–46. But the Tigers seized momentum from there, attacking the rim, getting to the foul line, and riding a hot second half from Carter Welling.
Welling buried back-to-back 3-pointers during Clemson’s surge — the second with 2:13 left — to push the Tigers ahead 64–63, their first lead of the half. He added a jumper moments later as Clemson (5–1) stretched the margin to three.
“He hit two monster 3s,” WVU coach Ross Hodge said. “A lot of times it comes down to who jumps up and makes one with the game on the line, and they did and we didn’t.”
Chance Moore, making his season debut, scored inside with 58 seconds remaining to pull the Mountaineers within one. The Tigers answered when Welling drew a foul on Honor Huff and split a pair of free throws. Floyd had a clean look at a go-ahead 3 on the next possession but missed.
After Jake Wahlin converted one of two free throws with 18 seconds remaining, Moore pushed the ball upcourt. A scramble ended with Brenen Lorient finishing a dunk with 1.5 seconds left, trimming the deficit to 68–67.
Welling was fouled on the ensuing inbound play and calmly sank both free throws to seal the win.
WVU controlled most of the first half, holding Clemson to 2-of-13 from deep and 37 percent shooting en route to a 32–25 lead. Moore’s half-court heave banked in at the buzzer to give the Mountaineers extra momentum at the break.
“It was a tale of two halves,” Hodge said. “Bottom line, we are not going to win many games when we give up 45 points in the second half, and a large part of that 45 was probably in the last eight minutes of the game.
Welling scored all 13 of his points in the second half, finishing just behind teammates Jestin Porter and RJ Godfrey, who each posted 14. Dillon Hunter added 13 and Butta Johnson chipped in 11 off the bench. The Tigers shot 56 percent after halftime and made six of its final eight shots.
Huff led WVU with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including three 3s. Moore added 16 off the bench and Floyd scored 14.
The second half turned increasingly physical, with 22 fouls called — 13 against West Virginia. The Mountaineers went 12 of 19 at the line and finished at 40.7 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
“”When we got the 10-point lead we got a little stagnant offensively and didn’t execute great,” Hodge said. “Simply put, to me the difference was late in the game they were able to get the ball where they wanted it, when they wanted it and they made the shots. We were a little discombobulated and had to settle for some tough shots and just didn’t execute at a high enough level to beat a good team on a neutral floor. It’s disappointing.”
Clemson held a 32–22 edge in paint scoring and made four more free throws than WVU, key figures in the tight finish.
The Mountaineers move into Sunday’s consolation bracket and will face the loser of the Xavier–Georgia matchup at 3:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
