Ace Buckner scores 26 to lead Clemson over American 82-73

Ace Buckner led Clemson with 26 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range, as Clemson defeated American 82-73 on Friday night, Live 5 WCSC reported.

Liutaras Lelevicius contributed 17 points and 10 rebounds, recording his first double-double for Clemson, while Dylan Faulkner and Cole Certa added 12 and 10 points respectively, according to Live 5 WCSC.

American stayed competitive throughout the game, with Madden Collins scoring 23 points on 10-for-20 shooting and the Eagles making 13 of 28 three-point attempts, as noted by Yahoo Sports.

Clemson took the lead on a Lelevicius three-pointer with 6:14 left in the first half and maintained it for the rest of the game, securing a 40-29 rebound advantage, Live 5 WCSC reported.

The Tigers improved to 2-0 and will continue their season-opening homestand against North Dakota on Monday, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra, according to Yahoo Sports.