Jestin Porter scored a season-high 26 points and recorded five steals as Clemson won its seventh straight game, beating Notre Dame 76-61 Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference play in South Bend, Indiana.
RJ Godfrey scored 16 points and Carter Welling added 14 points and six rebounds as the Tigers (14-3, 4-0 ACC) earned their 11th straight ACC road victory, a program record.
It was also Clemson’s 12th consecutive championship victory, the second-longest conference winning streak in the country behind Houston.
Clemson outshot Notre Dame in the paint 34-18 and shot 46.6% from the floor and made 7 of 26 (26.9%) 3-pointers.
Jalen Haralson scored 18 points and Logan Imes contributed 13 points to pace Notre Dame (10-6, 1-2), which has lost three of its last four.
Clemson, which committed just six turnovers and forced 14 Notre Dame errors, took the lead midway through the first half and held it the rest of the way.
Midway through the second half, Porter gave the Tigers their biggest lead to that point, 57-44, when he made a steal and breakaway layup.
Later in the half, after the Fighting Irish had cut the deficit to seven points, Porter made another steal and committed a flagrant foul as he rushed for another breakaway.
Porter made two free throws after the foul, then hit two more with 3:45 left to extend the Tigers’ advantage to 65-54.
Porter then helped clinch the win by making another steal and breakaway layup and followed with a jumper and quick alley-oop pass to Godfrey for a two-handed slam as the Tigers took a 71-56 lead with 2:20 to play.
Clemson took the lead midway through the first half and increased it to eight points as Porter scored his final seven points of the period.
Notre Dame’s Cole Certa made an NBA-length 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 39-34 at the break.
–Field level media
