Penn State’s (6-1, 0-0) perfect start to the season was brought to an end at the hands of the Clemson Tigers (6-1, 0-0) in the Sunshine Slam Championship.
Ace Baldwin Jr. scored a game-high 20 points and dished out 11 assists. Yanic Konan Niederhauser missed one shot en route to a 14-point, three-block outing. Nick Kern Jr. rounded out the double-digit scorers for Penn State with 11 off the bench.
Clemson was led by the duo of Ian Schieffelin (18 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists) and Chase Hunter (17 points, 3-of-6 3). Chauncey Wiggins scored 14 points and Del Jones contributed 10 points.
Overall, PSU shot 46 percent from the field and 22 percent (4-of-18) from 3. Clemson meanwhile shot 44 percent and made nine 3’s on 47 percent shooting.
The game started with an immediate highlight for Penn State as Baldwin came off a screen and lobbed Niederhauser.ย
Both teams got off to strong starts, shooting a combined 6-of-8 by the first media timeout. Baldwin assisted on the first four Nittany Lion buckets.ย
Clemson was able to get an early 17-11 advantage due to their interior presence, scoring 12 out of its 17 points in the paint.ย
However, both teams hit a cold stretch, going a combined 3-for-15 over five and a half minutes of play.
Then, PSU was energized by a Niederhauser isolation dunk, leading to a quick 6-0 run in 57 seconds. Both teams went on to trade buckets until Niederhauser got an and-one layup, sparking another 6-0 run to give Penn State its largest lead of the day at 28-21.
Clemson immediately responded by making three straight 3s, taking a 30-28 lead. The Tigers would go on to make seven of their last eight shots to take a 38-36 lead into halftime.
Baldwin paced the Nittany Lions with six points and seven assists, setting up Niederhauser (11 first-half points) for three scores.
Niederhauser continued his perfect shooting night by opening up the second with a dunk, but that would be the only made field goal for Penn State for the next 5:10.
Turnovers plagued the Nittany Lions through the first four minutes, accounting for five of their nine early possessions.
Clemson was able to gain a seven-point advantage after a Chauncey Wiggins 3, but PSU would double the Tigers’ scoring over four minutes, taking a 55-54 lead on a pull-up 3 by Baldwin.
The game continued to be built on runs, as a Freddie Dilione V jumper was responded to with an 11-2 Clemson run, giving the Tigers a 67-61 lead with 4:14 left.
Penn State got within three with 88 seconds left, but Schiefflin hit a hook shot to make the lead 71-66. A Niederhauser free throw made it a four-point game, but a miscommunication on a defensive rebound between him and Kern allowed Clemson to ice the game on two free throws.
Penn State’s next game will be on Sunday at 2 p.m. against Buffalo at the Bryce Jordan Center.
