Clemson, S.C. — On Friday night, Clemson secured a decisive victory over Florida A&M, winning 86-58, thanks to the contributions of Chase Hunter and Chauncey Wiggins, who scored 16 and 15 points respectively. Their teammates also made notable contributions, with Jaeden Zackery finishing the game with 13 points and Viktor Lahkin adding 12. Despite a subdued performance from Ian Schieffelin, who managed only five points on 2-for-7 shooting, he was effective on the boards, recording 15 rebounds.

The game saw Florida A&M take an early lead, fueled by Shaqir O’Neal, who connected on a 3-pointer while drawing a foul, converting the free throw after, then adding to the score in the paint. Milton Matthews capped an 11-3 run for Florida A&M, giving them a five-point advantage with just over six minutes remaining in the first half. However, Clemson rallied, with Zackery scoring seven points and Hunter contributing six during a stretch where the Tigers seized control, scoring 15 of the last 19 points to lead 38-32 at the break.

The second half began with Saiyd Burnside dunking to narrow the Rattlers’ gap to seven points, but Clemson quickly countered with an impressive 18-2 run, pushing the lead beyond reach. Matthews led Florida A&M with 14 points, while Roderick Coffee III supported the effort with 13 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Jordan Chatman added another 11 points, and O’Neal finished with 10.

Florida A&M’s only win this season remains against Trinity Baptist, a team from the National Christian College Athletic Association. Clemson’s shooting was robust, hitting 30 of 60 attempts from the field and achieving a remarkable 85% from the free-throw line, vastly outscoring Florida A&M at the charity stripe, 17-1.