Clemson guard Chase Hunter saw it from a mile away. He jumped in front of a Syracuse pass and sprinted down the court to finish the fast break with a one-handed slam to set Littlejohn Coliseum on fire. What the Orange didn’t know at the time was that this was going to be the beginning of the end.
Clemson (16-4, 8-1 ACC) pounced on Syracuse, defeating them 86-72 in a high-powered offensive performance on Wednesday night.
The first half, a half dominated by the Tigers, treated the fans to a spectacle of dueling guards: Clemson’s Hunter and Syracuse’s J.J. Starling. Coming into the game, Hunter averaged 17.6 points and Starling was averaging 18.5, but both standouts looked as if they were going to make a mockery of those numbers.
After the first 20 minutes, Hunter sent in 18 first-half points to Starling’s 17, and Syracuse scored 29 total points in the half.
“It’s definitely a confidence thing,” Hunter said, who finished with 23 points. “I’ve felt very confident these last few games, really the whole year. I’m just trying to ride that wave. Keep putting in that work. Keep playing hard for these guys. And just making sure we keep winning games.”
Hunter began his dominant performance by securing Clemson’s first points of the game on a soft floater in the lane to respond to a smooth jump shot from Starling that opened the gates.
Center Eddie Lampkin Jr. also made his presence known for the Orange (9-10, 3-5 ACC), spinning to drive baseline and finishing strong through contact.
The game remained close — until Hunter’s breakaway slam contributed to an 11-2 run that put the Tigers in the driver’s seat.
After guard Jaeden Zackery finished a crafty layup at the rim, a shell-shocked Syracuse, who watched its lead disappear before its eyes, called a timeout to stop the Clemson momentum.
The Tigers kept their foot on the gas the rest of the half, adding another 16-4 run to follow. The offensive domination included a showcase from freshman Del Jones. Head coach Brad Brownell had nothing but praise for his freshman guard, who finished the game with 9 points and four rebounds off the bench.
“He’s an energy-giver. He’s an on-ball defender. He’s a guy that can break you down off the bounce,” Brownell said. “He can touch the paint. Tonight, he made a lot of good decisions, which was really good. Made a couple shots, terrific. But just an energy-giver.”
Hunter also got involved in the run, ducking behind his forward Ian Schieffelin to drill a 3-pointer from the wing — one of four first-half threes — all from virtually the same spot. Hunter also found his way to the rim, finishing a Euro step with a soft flick off the glass.
Despite the hounding defense of Clemson, Starling continued to do everything in his power to keep Syracuse competitive in the second half. However, the offensive dominance from the entire Clemson roster proved too much to hold off.
Syracuse gave extra attention to Hunter in the second half, but Hunter remained composed, allowing his teammates to take the spotlight.
Chauncey Wiggins started it off, knocking down a 3-pointer of his own. Schieffelin took advantage of Syracuse’s distraction with Hunter, slamming down a dunk in the paint and burying a three a few possessions later, causing Syracuse to use a timeout. The senior finished with 11 points.
Viktor Lakhin then took the torch, taking over the game quickly in the second half, as he scored from just about everywhere with layups down low, free throws and 3-pointers beyond the arc. The Cincinnati transfer made light work of the Syracuse front court, tallying a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Clemson will next travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on Virginia Tech on Saturday in another ACC matchup.
