Story by
Who stood out during Clemson’s Italy tour as Tigers end on a high note
- Story by
- Who stood out during Clemson’s Italy tour as Tigers end on a high note
Clemson basketball's tour of Italy began with unplayable wet surfaces and concluded with an obliteration on surfaces.
The Tigers completed their three-game exhibition schedule undefeated Tuesday, beating Orange Bassano 99-54 after defeating Pro Camp 69-58 three days earlier. The two victories closed a trip that gave Brad Brownell an extended look at his roster and gave Clemson fans several early names to remember.
Advertisement
Clemson saved its most complete performance for the finale. The Tigers opened the game against Orange Bassano on a 15-0 run, led 29-4 after the opening quarter and carried a commanding 50-16 advantage into halftime. Clemson scored at least 20 points in every quarter and finished one point shy of triple digits.
At the end of the day, Clemson earned a 69-58 victory despite committing 26 turnovers and shooting only 17-for-32 from the free-throw line. Those numbers would ordinarily be enough to bury a team, but the Tigers compensated by assisting on 15 of their 21 made field goals and producing enough offense late to escape with an 11-point victory.
Liutauras Lelevicius led Clemson with 16 points and three 3-pointers, scoring 13 of his points after halftime. Certa added 13 points and a team-high five assists, while Thomas contributed 11 points and two blocks. Fuchs controlled the glass with 10 rebounds.
Advertisement
Those final two wins followed the strangest game of the tour. Clemson's opener against BC Silute was called in the fourth quarter after moisture accumulated on the court, making it unplayable. The Tigers were awarded a 40-35 victory, giving them perhaps the only five-point win they will ever record without completing the game.
Certa was the clear consistent offensive standout. The Notre Dame transfer scored 10, 13 and 16 points, respectively, becoming the only Tiger to reach double figures in all three games. His 39 total points led Clemson for the tour, while his perimeter shooting and playmaking gave the Tigers a steady offensive presence in three wildly different games.
Thomas displayed the most complete skill set. He scored 33 points across the tour and saved his best all-around performance for the finale, when he affected the game as a scorer, rebounder, facilitator, and defender.
Advertisement
Lelevicius finished with 31 points and provided Clemson's biggest second-half scoring performance against Pro Camp. Reynolds, meanwhile, made his impression at the end of the trip by leading the Tigers in scoring during their most dominant win.
The encouraging, and not necessarily shocking thing to anyone who has watched Clemson ball the past few years was that Clemson did not rely on one player or one formula. Certa supplied consistency, Thomas contributed across the box score, Lelevicius delivered solid offense, and Reynolds exploded in the finale. Fuchs and Steinour also provided valuable production inside.
Clemson accomplished all of that without Carter Welling, Ace Buckner, Zac Foster and Dylan Faulkner, who remained sidelined by injuries throughout the tour.
Advertisement
Contact us at @Clemson_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news, notes and opinions .
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Who stood out during Clemson's Italy tour as Tigers end on a high note
