CLEMSON, SC - The Tigers simply did not make shots or play well enough offensively against a red-hot FSU team that is ranked No.16 in the nation and has now won 8 straight games. The 77-64 final was the Tigers' first home loss since No.4 UVA in mid-January. A lot of the Tigers' struggles on both ends of the court had to do with the Noles' depth. They just keep coming at you with big, athletic players, going 11 deep and wearing you down. The big run they went on at the end of the 1st half was basically the difference in the game. The Tigers trailed by 15 at the half and were never able to go on a big enough run to come back. They got it to 5 at one point but then quickly fell behind by double digits again. The Tigers were just 38% from the field. Ironically, Nichols was 1-5 from the field. If he had shot like that in the first meeting, the Tigers would have come away with a big road win. Kabangele had a big game with 19 points, 5 over his average, and Koumadje scored 10 points in just 14 minutes.
Reed led the Tigers with 20, but Trapp was 0-8 from the field, and he had been playing consistently well for the last month. The Tigers squandered some opportunities in transition as well. Eli managed to stay on the court for most of the game, playing 34 minutes, but he only scored 13.
Next up is BC here at Littlejohn on Saturday. Hopefully the Tigers will be able to put this one behind them and bounce back with a big win at home. Post-game interviews are below!
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