CLEMSON, S.C. — Chauncey Wiggins scored 12 points and Ian Schieffelin had 11 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as Clemson defeated No. 4 Kentucky for a 70-66 victory in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Tuesday night.

The Tigers (8-1) held the Wildcats (7-1) to 30 points fewer than their national-leading average of 96.7 per game.

Clemson took the lead for good, 53-52, with 10:08 left on Del Jones’ layup that started a 10-2 run. Kentucky got within 68-66 on Lamont Butler’s 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left, but Chase Hunter followed with two foul shots to seal the game.

Otega Oweh had 17 points to lead Kentucky. Amari Williams added nine points and 10 rebounds.

Schieffelin, who averaged a double-double with more than 12 points and 11 rebounds this season, shot just 4 of 20 from the field. But he was relentless on the boards, surpassing his previous best of 17 rebounds against Pitt in December 2023.

Takeaways

Kentucky: It’s a big week for the Wildcats, whose offense and fast start under first-year coach Mark Pope made them among the best in the country. However, Kentucky had not faced a defense like the Tigers.

Clemson: The Tigers used a win in last year’s SEC/ACC Challenge at Alabama to advance to the Elite Eight. Clemson hopes this win over Kentucky helps propel the team even further in the NCAAs.

Key moment

Kentucky made just one of its final nine shots in the first half during Clemson’s 14-2 run. The Wildcats trailed 37-30 at halftime, the fewest points they have scored in a half this season.

Important statistics

Kentucky went 3 for 13 on 3-pointers in the second half.

Next

Kentucky plays Saturday night at No. 7 Gonzaga.

Clemson opens ACC play Saturday at Miami.

——

Get AP Top 25 poll alerts and updates throughout the season. Sign up here. AP College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball