Chase Hunter scored 23 points to propel Clemson to an 86-72 home victory over Syracuse on Wednesday.
Viktor Lakhin chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (16-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have won seven of their past eight games. Jaeden Zackery contributed 14 points for Clemson, while Ian Schieffelin pitched in with 11 points.
The Orange (9-10, 3-5) were led by J.J. Starling’s 25 points, while Eddie Lampkin Jr. notched 14 points and nine rebounds. Syracuse shot well from the field (53.8 percent), the 3-point arc (11 of 21) and the foul line (5 of 6) but was undone by 14 turnovers and the inability to stop the dynamic Clemson offense.
The Tigers shot 56.4 percent from the floor and a crisp 9 of 20 from 3-point range. They also finished with 11 fastbreak points to zero for the visitors.
Kyle Cuffe Jr. made a 3-pointer about nine minutes into the contest that brought Syracuse within 20-19, but Clemson took over from there.
The Tigers unleashed a 12-2 run, beginning with a 3-pointer from Hunter. Shortly thereafter, Del Jones scored five straight points to expand the lead to nine before Jake Heidbreder’s layup made it 32-21.
Starling knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, but each time Lakhin answered with a bucket.
Clemson closed the half with 10 straight points, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Hunter, to head into the locker room with a 48-29 advantage.
The Orange went nearly five minutes without a point to end the first half, including two shot-clock violations in the final minute.
Hunter (18 points) and Starling (17) led their respective teams in scoring during the opening 20 minutes, with both standout guards shooting 7-for-9 from the field.
Early in the second half, Chauncey Wiggins’ jumper brought the Tigers’ lead north of 20 for the first time. Clemson led by as many as 24 on Hunter’s free throws with 8:51 remaining.
–Field Level Media
