Clemson Crowned Charleston Classic Champions as they topple Georgia in OT.

The Clemson Tigers (6-1) defeated the Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) by a final score of 97-94 in thrilling overtime fashion to become champions of the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic – Palmetto Bracket and capped off a statement weekend for the Brad Brownell led squad. This is the third Charleston Classic championship in the five years that the Tigers have participated, most recently bringing home the trophy in 2023.

Entering the contest, the Bulldogs were known for their chaotic pace and ability to force turnovers as Georgia entered the contest 5th in the NCAA with 12.9 turnovers forced-per-game and led the nation in fast break points, averaging a frantic 32.8 points-per-game. The Tigers immediately fell into the trap of playing to the Bulldogs strength with their inability to handle the full court press early as Georgia forced 5 turnovers in the first 7 minutes of play and would finish the half with 8, which was more than Clemson’s season average of 7.2 per game coming into the contest.

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After a Brad Brownell timeout when the Georgia lead ballooned to 10 halfway through the first half, the Tigers made the adjustment to slow down their offense and made an effort to get the ball into the paint on every possession where Clemson had the advantage with strong play from Carter Welling and RJ Godfrey. 6 consecutive points from RJ Godfrey cut the lead to 2 as Clemson began to play some pressure defense of their own. After matching Georgia’s defensive intensity, Georgia turned the ball over 8 times of their own in the half, and a Zac Foster corner 3-pointer gave Clemson their first lead of the half with under 2 minutes remaining. The Tigers would enter the half with a 1-point lead at 41-40.

The second half saw both teams trade runs. Clemson built a 10-point cushion midway through the half thanks to three 3-pointers from Jestin Porter, only for Georgia to storm back with a 13–2 run to take the lead with under 11 minutes remaining. The 13-2 run was sparked by…

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Publish date : 2025-11-23 22:25:00

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