They didn’t have their best game, but the Clemson Tigers avoided a letdown after their thrilling 70-66 win over Kentucky basketball earlier in the week in the SEC-ACC Challenge.
Led by another double-double from senior Ian Schieffelin (13 points, 12 rebounds) and a game-high 18 points from senior Chase Hunter, Clemson overcame a slow start to defeat the Miami Hurricanes, 65-55, Saturday afternoon in the ACC opener for both teams at Watsco Center in Coral Gables.
The Tigers improved to 9-1 overall and have a good chance of being ranked in the new Top 25 polls Monday.
Schieffelin had his fifth double-double of the season and second this week. Against Miami, he made Clemson’s first points of the afternoon with a 3-point basket after the Tigers and Hurricanes (3-6) both began the game scoreless for the first three and a half minutes.
A few minutes later, Schieffelin sank another basket from behind the arc to stake the Tigers to a 9-1 lead and force Miami (3-6) to use a timeout. Clemson would go up by 11 before the Hurricanes used a 19-6 run to take their first lead of the game.
Schieffelin made his third 3-pointer of the half with a little over three minutes to play until halftime, and Hunter made a steal and a layup to boost Clemson to a 25-24 lead at intermission.
Behind Hunter and Cincinnati Bearcats transfer Viktor Lahkin, the Tigers eventually pulled away in the second half. Lahkin hit two big 3-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor with around seven minutes to play to put Clemson ahead for good at 47-43.
The Tigers added a clutch 3-point basket from Dillon Hunter and a tip-in from Schieffelin to go up by five, 56-51, with 2:38 to play. Clemson put the game out of reach at the foul line, making eight of its last nine shots from the charity stripe.
Lahkin finished with 12 points, all of them coming in the second half. Twelve of Hunter’s 18 points came in the second half. He shot 7-of-19 from the field and was just 1-of-7 from downtown.
The Tigers shot 40 percent and got off 27 threes, connecting on nine. Clemson’s first 12 points in the game came from behind the arc.
Jalil Bethea, a consensus five-star prospect out of Pennsylvania who chose Miami over Alabama, Villanova, Syracuse and others, led the Canes with 12 points.
Clemson schedule 2024
Clemson will take on Penny Hardaway’s Memphis Tigers (7-1) a week from Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN2.