Clemson Falls to Wake Forest, 85-77

Feb 18, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers guard RJ Godfrey (0) dribbles the ball guarded by Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Cooper Schwieger (13) during the first half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Jim Dedmon | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images The 14-game road win streak is over, the 3-game loss streak continues.

Wake Forest capitalized on their best shooting half of the year to take control of this game early, leading by as much as 20 points in the first half. The Demon Deacons shot 67% from the field during the first period, while the Tigers struggled to find any consistent offensive pressure. Another slow defensive start for Clemson seemed to spell disaster for Brownell’s crew, and Wake didn’t look back.

A pair of Clemson buckets helped the Tigers rally and go into the half with a little bit of momentum, but down 13, the game already felt nearly out of reach. Carter Welling used that energy in the opening minutes of the second half to net a pair of baskets, and Wake suddenly seemed unable to hit a shot.

The defensive energy was noticeably better for the Tigers, causing the Deacons to take several poor shot attempts, and a big 3-pointer from Nick Davidson trimmed the deficit to just 5, putting Clemson firmly back in the game. A word from our sponsor: Don’t forget to visit our sponsors at Section 103 , which has added a Clemson apparel collection.

They have polos, hats, stickers, and a variety of shirts to choose from. You can grab some new Clemson gear with our promo code for 10%:  STS10. Wake Forest would find their rhythm, though, driving the lead back up to 10 while Clemson did its best to punch back. Jestin Porter made a nice play with a 3-pointer, followed by a steal and subsequent layup, but the Tigers struggled to close the gap.

Both teams’ offenses continued to fire in the waning minutes of the second half, with Jake Wahlin leading the charge for the Tigers via a career-best 17 points. Despite the better offensive half, Clemson was unable to disrupt Wake enough to slow them down, and the Demon Deacons closed the game out comfortably. The exclamation point for Wake came off Sebastian Akins’ first career ACC 3-pointer with 2 minutes to play.

After the disastrous first-half start, Clemson did well to make the game competitive in the second half, but Wake Forest had an answer for every run the Tigers attempted to start. With the loss, Clemson moves to 20-7 (10-4 ACC), while Wake Forest collects its 5th ACC victory. Up next, Clemson faces off against FSU at home on Saturday. The 14-game road win streak is over, the 3-game loss streak continues.

Wake Forest capitalized on their best shooting half of the year to take control of this game early, leading by as much as 20 points in the first half. The Demon Deacons shot 67% from the field during the first period, while the […] The 14-game road win streak is over, the 3-game loss streak continues.

Wake Forest capitalized on their best shooting half of the year to take control of this game early, leading by as much as 20 points in the first half. The Demon Deacons shot 67% from the field during the first period, while the […]