COLUMBIA - Shooting wasn't exactly Clemson or South Carolina's forte on Saturday, but the Tigers got the two clutch shots they needed to win.
Freshman Cheyenne Moore's 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds remaining gave Clemson a 63-62 win inside the Colonial Center, a landmark victory for a young Tigers team.
The win was set up by a long 3 by freshman Cliff Hammonds.
"Certainly we weren't perfect or pretty, but we kept fighting and found a way to win," Tigers coach Oliver Purnell said.
It was the first time South Carolina coach Dave Odom lost to an in-state school in his three-plus years with the program.
It was first road win for Purnell, in his second year at Clemson, in 12 tries.
"It's just another first for this young team," said Purnell, whose club beat Ohio State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge earlier this week.
Tigers guard Shawan Robinson, who finished with 18 points, hit the first and then missed the second of two free throws; and the long rebound was tipped back out. He grabbed the ball and whipped it around to Hammonds.
Hammonds, who had 17 points, buried his fourth 3 in six tries and tied the game at 60-60.
After a timeout, the Gamecocks struggled to inbound the ball, but they were bailed out when a foul off the ball sent Powell to the free throw line.
Powell hit both shots with 13.7 seconds left, and South Carolina led 62-60.
After a timeout, Clemson raced up the court, and Moore was left alone on the wing.
Moore buried a leaning 3-pointer to put Clemson back on top, 63-62. Kelley brought the ball up, but was cut off by Hammonds, who forced him to the sideline.
The ball went off Kelley's foot, although the South Carolina contingent thought it was the result of a blocking foul.
The excitement and drama of the final minute was the antithesis of the opening half.
Both teams came out emotionally charged and offensively flat.
"It was putrid," Odom said. "There's no other way to put it. Put blinders on and you'd do just as good."
South Carolina hit only two of its first 14 shots, and those came 3 feet from the basket.
The Gamecocks mustered seven points in the first 14-plus minutes.
Clemson wasn't much better. When South Carolina hit the 10-point plateau - with 5:49 left in the half - Clemson had only 16 points.
The Tigers led 25-22 at the half.
Even new South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier recognized what the name of this game was.
"There's a lot of defense out there, isn't there?" Spurrier said at halftime.
The Gamecocks played more loose in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the floor. They took their first lead at the 14:30 mark, when Renaldo Balkman scored for a 29-28 lead.
South Carolina held the lead until Robinson drove and laid the ball in with 1:10 left in the game.
His free throws with 19.4 second on the clock put Clemson ahead, but Kelley responded with a shifty drive to send the game to overtime.
"That was truly one of the weirdest games I've ever been a part of," Odom said.
Reach Travis Haney at (706) 823-3304 or travis.haney@augustachronicle.com.
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