After a five day break, Clemson seemed to be on cruise control for most of last night’s contest against the Florida State Seminoles, holding a commanding lead for most of the game… Until they didn’t.

The Tigers led by 12 at the half and by as much as 18 in the game, but around the 30-minute mark, that lead began to dissipate rapidly. The ‘Noles stormed back, eventually tying the game at 70 with 0:08 left and were able to force overtime. The Florida State squad went on to complete their comeback, escaping with a victory over the 11th-ranked Tigers by a final score of 81-79. Clemson is now just 1-3 when allowing opponents to score 78+ points.

Turnovers were again a major issue for Clemson, a problem that has plagued them multiple times this season. The Tigers has 21 turnovers on the night, including 15 in the second half and overtime. Clemson has turned the ball over 17 or more times in three different games this year, and are 0-3 in such contests. Bad passes, poor shot selection, and loose ball handling were all major themes during the final 25 minutes of play for Brownell’s squad.

Marcquise Reed was Clemson’s leading scorer with 23 points, but it took 21 FGA for him to reach that mark. Reed also played for the entirety of the 45-minute contest, likely causing the fact that he made only 1 of his last 7 field goals. Gabe DeVoe had just 11 points, his lowest in the Tigers’ last five games, on 3/8 FG and shot 3/6 from beyond the arc, ending his five-game streak with 5+ 3’s made. DeVoe also spent most of the night on the floor, playing for a total of 39 minutes. David Skara registered 38 minutes of playing time and 11 points as well, and had the chance to extend the game into double OT in the final seconds of play. Skara made a quick inside layup with 0:08 left in OT to bring Clemson within 2 points, then forced a Seminole turnover with 0:06 left, but was fouled before he could get a shot off. He was sent to the line, where he missed his first free throw before making his second attempt, a move that could’ve tied the game back up at 79 and potentially sent the two teams back on the court for another 5 minutes.

A scary moment occurred for the Tigers with 0:09 left in overtime as Shelton Mitchell took a forearm blow to the head that sent him to the ground. Mitchell attempted to walk off the court on his own, but was unable to stand and keep his feet. Brownell reported that he was taken to the local hospital to undergo a CT scan, and an update from the Clemson Basketball Twitter account (@ClemsonMBB) later said that Mitchell would remain in Tallahassee overnight in the hospital with the team trainers.

Losing Mitchell for the game against Duke on Sunday seems likely, based on what I saw at least, as he seemed concussed when leaving the floor. Mitchell’s injury is unfortunate, but player safety has to come first in today’s game and I hope that he will make a speedy recovery and return as soon as possible to the hardwood.

Clemson now stands at 20-5 (9-4 ACC) heading into Sunday’s game against #11 Duke. The teams are now tied for second place in the ACC, and the matchup in Littlejohn will be a deciding factor in seeding for the ACC tournament. The Tigers and Blue Devils will tip off at 1:00 PM EST on Sunday in Clemson.