Otega Oweh, No. 4 Kentucky Disappoint CBB Fans in ACC/SEC Challenge Loss vs. Clemson | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
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The SEC went 9-1 in the SEC/ACC Men’s Challenge on Tuesday.
And that one loss came from the conference’s most accomplished program.
Clemson stunned No. 4 Kentucky 70-66 and Littlejohn Coliseum in Tuesday’s final clash between the ACC and SEC. It was the first loss of the season for Mark Pope’s 7-1 Wildcats, while the Tigers improved to 8-1.
Ian Schieffelin notched a double-double of 11 points and 20 rebounds for the victors, although he was an ugly 4-of-20 from the field. He was one of four Tigers who scored in double figures, as Chauncey Wiggins (12 points) and Jaeden Zackery (11 points and four steals) also helped lead the way.
Otega Oweh did what he could for the Wildcats with 17 points and seven boards, but the offense struggled as a whole while shooting 38.1 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from deep.
Social media had some thoughts on the performance:
WT – Lamont Enthusiast @WildcatsTongue
I think a lot of the performance tonight is credit to Clemson, a poor shooting night for Kentucky, and 1st half foul trouble. Not a ton of huge coaching mistakes.
The one I will point out is the lack of Koby Brea minutes. He might be a minus defender, but he needs to get shots.
Sam Roberts @RealSamRoberts
I agree with this. It’s definitely an incredibly frustrating loss because Kentucky should’ve won, but panicking over a growing pain is not an intelligent response. https://t.co/FPQmgNleWB
Chris Beasmore @CBeasmoreSports
I believe Kentucky and Mark Pope will figure it out, but this is definitely a frustrating loss for sure. #BBN
Kentucky may have entered the game as the undefeated powerhouse, but Clemson set the tone in the early going.
The Tigers built a 37-30 halftime lead as Schieffelin dominated the boards. He was a point away from a double-double at intermission with nine points and 13 rebounds, while Zackery found his stroke from deep and created turnovers on the defensive side.
Clemson’s defense made life particularly difficult on Kentucky’s outside shooters, which prevented the visitors from establishing an offensive rhythm.
It was only a matter of time before the Wildcats made a run, though, and Oweh took over early in the second half. He hit from deep and got inside the lane as his team took the lead within the first five minutes after halftime.
Yet the Tigers didn’t fold and instead had an answer seemingly every time Kentucky was about to seize control.
One of those answers with less than five minutes remaining was particularly loud, as a layup from Wiggins and then an and-1 from Zackery extended the advantage to eight. Zackery did a little bit of everything for stretches with an assist on a Viktor Lakhin triple and multiple transition opportunities.
Back-to-back baskets from Kentucky cut the deficit to four, but the visitors went cold when it mattered most. Lamont Butler’s three-pointer with two seconds left was their only field goal in the last three minutes, which underscored the overall shooting woes.
They will look to bounce back in a high-profile showdown with Gonzaga on Saturday.
