CLEMSON, S.C. — In an exciting matchup on Tuesday night, Clemson University triumphed over Eastern Kentucky with a score of 75-62, powered by stellar performances from Chase Hunter and Viktor Lakhin, who each contributed 19 points. Lakhin further dominated the boards, securing 12 rebounds, while Ian Schieffelin added another 13 points to the Tigers’ total.

Eastern Kentucky’s Devontae Blanton led his team with an impressive 23 points, finding success with 10 of his 15 shooting attempts. Mayar Wol also made a significant impact, scoring 12 points for the Colonels.

Wol’s three-pointer early in the second half put Eastern Kentucky ahead 54-50, creating a momentary lead. However, Clemson quickly responded with a 9-0 run, regaining control of the game. Jaeden Zackery’s layup with 8:20 remaining stretched the Tigers’ lead to 66-56, as they maintained a comfortable lead of double digits for the remainder of the match.

Earlier in the game, Hunter’s three-pointer midway through the first half gave Clemson its first significant lead at 23-13. Eastern Kentucky countered sharply with a 12-0 run to pull ahead 25-23 before Clemson entered halftime with a 42-36 advantage.

This game represented the first real challenge for Clemson this season, as they had previously opened with two dominant victories, each by 25 points or more, marking the tenth time in the program’s history achieving such a start.

This game also marked the inaugural meeting between Clemson and Eastern Kentucky, further extending Clemson’s impressive record to 15-1 against teams currently in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

In addition to their scoring prowess, Hunter and Schieffelin are amongst only five players in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) who are on track to complete their careers at the same university where they started, having each been starters for a minimum of three seasons. They join RJ Davis from UNC, Cameron Hildreth from Wake Forest, and Maxime Raynaud from Stanford in this exclusive group.