Seniors Lift Tigers into ACC Semifinal
Tigers hold SMU to 54 points, its fewest points allowed in ACC Tourney since 1980
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chase Hunter (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) scored 21 points, including 15 in the second half, to lift No. 10/10 Clemson University Men’s Basketball (27-5) to a 57-54 win over sixth-seeded SMU (23-10) in the quarterfinal round of the T. Rowe Price ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Spectrum Center. Clemson’s seniors combined for 47 of the 57 points in the victory, which pushes the third-seeded Tigers into the ACC Tournament semifinals for the 15th time in program history and fourth under Head Coach Brad Brownell.
SMU’s Chuck Harris had a three-point attempt with 6.8 seconds left to take the lead, but missed and the ball fell out of bounds to the Tigers after review. Hunter hit a free throw with 3.2 seconds left, and SMU missed its desperation attempt as time expired. Clemson held the Mustangs to a 1-for-14 mark behind the arc in the game, and did not allow a field goal in the final 6:14 of gameplay.
Bracket Slap
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Clemson moves on to play No. 2 seed Louisville at 9:30 p.m. Friday night at the Spectrum Center. The Cardinals are ranked 13th nationally, and enter with a 26-6 overall record and a 10-game winning streak, having gone 20-1 in its past 21 games.
Hunter, who won his 110th game in a Clemson record, scored his 21 points on an efficient 7-for-13 from the floor and 5-8 from the free throw line. Jaeden Zackery (Salem, Wis./Westosha Central/Boston College) had 11 points and three steals, Ian Schieffelin (Atlanta, Ga./Grayson)
Added nine points and 12 rebounds and Viktor Lakhin (Anapa, Russia/CSKA-2/Cincinnati) added seven in limited minutes due to foul trouble.
In the first half, neither team was able to put together an extended run, though Clemson never trailed after Schieffelin’s jumper 32 seconds into the contest. Hunter gave the Tigers a 22-14 lead on a left-wing three-pointer, the 198th of his career, with 6:00 to play in the frame, and followed it with a big blocked shot at the other end.
SMU got back into it, pulling to within one, 28-27, just before the halftime buzzer. Clemson hit just eight of its 23 attempts from the floor, and went the final 6:00 minutes without a field goal, though it only attempted four shots in that span. The Tigers forced ten turnovers and hit 10-of-14 free throw attempts to hold onto the edge.
After scoring the final four points of the first half, SMU took its first lead on its first possession of the second half and opened up a 39-34 lead 4:32 into the second half. Del Jones (Landover, Md./Arizona Compass Prep) hit a driving layup to half the run, and after hitting a layup, Hunter drilled a left-corner three-pointer out of a timeout to grab a 41-39 lead with 11:50 to play.
SMU again pushed back, but Hunter kept the Tigers within striking distance at 47-45, scoring nine in a row for the Tigers at one point. Clemson held SMU just two points over a four-minute stretch in taking the lead back on a 9-2 run and a 54-51 lead with just over three minutes to play.
With 1:46 to play, Hunter hit a tough fadeaway to give the Tigers a 56-52 lead, and the Tigers would hold on from there.
