The No. 16 Clemson Tigers (11-2, 1-1 ACC) were defeated by the Miami Hurricanes (11-2, 2-0 ACC) by a score of 95-82 at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida.
Despite leading going into the half, a 60-point second half allowed Miami to steal a home win away from the Tigers, giving Clemson their first conference loss of the year.
Like their first loss to the Memphis Tigers, head coach Brad Brownell and his team got off to a hot start instantly. Seven Hurricane three-point shots were met by six of Clemson’s own, with transition and bench help being key catalysts for the Tigers to come out firing.
The second half proved to be different though, as Miami went on an 11-0 run early in the second half to grow a seven-point lead of their own. The midrange shooting of guard Nijel Pack and frontcourt prescene of Norchad Omier began to become a gradual problem for Clemson, putting Tiger PJ Hall in foul trouble and getting him out of the game in key moments. Pack would lead the game in points, scoring 25 points.
The Tigers struggled from beyond-the-arc in the game, shooting 36.7% from three compared to Miami’s 45.8%, sinking 11 threes from 24 attempts. They were also able to take a greater advantage on fast break points, scoring 16 compared to Clemson’s four points.
Slowly but surely, an extra bucket here and there from the Hurricanes allowed Miami to grow a comfortable lead of 13, which was the margin of victory for head coach Jim Larranga’s squad when the buzzer rang.
Leading the Tigers in Wednesday’s loss was guard Joe Girard III, who scored 18 points and sank four threes across the course of the game. He also added a team-high five assists and zero turnovers.
Despite being the main threat for Clemson all year, Hall was put into foul trouble early, fouling out late in the second half before Miami ran away with the win. The center added 17 points and six rebounds.
The tests continue for Clemson, who will have a more comfortable environment as they travel back to Littlejohn Coliseum for perhaps the biggest test of the season, the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels, on Saturday afternoon.
