University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt
7-8,0-2ACC
Clemson
12-3,2-0ACC
Clemson Fends Off Pitt in Nip-And-Tuck ACC Affair
1/3/2026 3:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – In a game that featured seven ties and 14 lead changes, Clemson made the plays down the stretch and held off Pitt, 73-68, Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.
Damarco Minor led five Panthers in double figures with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including three three-pointers, and added three steals. Omari Witherspoon came off the bench to score 14 points while shooting 6-of-10 from the field, and Roman Siulepa posted 12 points and seven rebounds. Cameron Corhen and Barry Dunning, Jr. each contributed 10 points.
The loss extends Clemson's winning streak in the series to 14 consecutive games dating back to a Pitt victory on March 8, 2014. The Tigers improved to 8-1 all-time at the Petersen Events Center.
The game was a back-and-forth affair through the first 20 minutes. Pitt shot 5-of-6 from three-point range in the opening half, with Minor knocking down three of those en route to a team-high 12 first-half points. His corner three with 11 seconds remaining gave the Panthers a 35-34 advantage at the break.
Clemson (12-3, 2-0 ACC) opened the second half with a 12-5 run to build a 46-39 lead, it's largest of the game to that point. The Panthers responded behind Witherspoon, who hit a step back three to ignite an 11-2 Pitt run. Dunning capped the spurt with a thunderous fast-break dunk off a Minor steal, giving Pitt a 56-53 lead with 9:10 to play.
The Tigers answered immediately, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to regain the lead at 59-56. Jestin Porter, who led all scorers with 21 points, hit consecutive triples to stretch Clemson's advantage to 62-58. A three-point play by Carter Welling made it 65-59 with 4:14 remaining.
Pitt continued to battle but could not complete the comeback. After Corhen fouled out with 3:27 to play, Clemson converted free-throws down the stretch to maintain its lead. Witherspoon scored inside to get the Panthers within 70-66 with 1:16 left, but Minor's potential three-pointer was blocked by Welling. The Tigers made their free-throws in the final minute to seal the win.
Pitt forced 14 Clemson turnovers and had 10 steals in the game, but the Tigers shot 53.3 percent from the floor compared to 44.2 percent for the Panthers. Clemson outrebounded Pitt 28-27 and received 26 points from its bench, led by 14 points from Nick Davidson.
The Panthers will have a week off before looking to earn their first ACC win of the season when they host Syracuse Saturday at 2 p.m.
