Godfrey’s 17 points and Clemson’s strong defense lead to 74-70 win over No. 24 SMU

By Canadian Press on January 7, 2026.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — RJ Godfrey scored 17 points and Clemson held down No. 24 SMU in a 74-70 victory Wednesday night.

The Tigers (13-3) have started 3-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for a second consecutive season. And they did it by corralling one of the highest-scoring teams in the country most of the way.

SMU (12-3, 1-1) came in averaging 91.5 points per game — tops in the ACC and 14th nationally — but couldn’t crack Clemson’s defense until late in the game.

The Mustangs cut a 15-point deficit to 71-67 on Boopie Miller’s free throws with 1:23 left. SMU had a chance to get closer, but Miller missed a short jumper. Jake Wahlin got the rebound for Clemson and made a foul shot with 22.5 seconds to play.

Moments later, Dillon Hunter hit two foul shots to extend the lead to 74-67 with less than 10 seconds remaining.

Miller led all scorers with 23 points. Samet Yigitoglu had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Mustangs.

SMU entered the AP Top 25 this week for the first time since the end of the 2016-17 season. Maybe the higher profile rattled the Mustangs early against Clemson as they managed just 25 points over the first 20 minutes.

The Tigers used a 17-4 run midway through the first half to gain control. Carter Welling started the run with a three-point play and added a jam four minutes later to push the lead to 25-13. Chase Thompson closed the surge with a 3-pointer.

Godfrey made six of seven field goals and added six rebounds. Hunter finished with 10 points.

Only a 3 at the buzzer by Jaron Pierre Jr. prevented SMU from setting a season low for points.

Up next

SMU visits No. 6 Duke on Saturday.

Clemson plays at Notre Dame on Saturday night.

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Pete Iacobelli, The Associated Press