Clemson basketball defeated the SMU Mustangs 79-69 on Saturday at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas.
Clemson got off to a hot start from the three, where it made seven of its first eight attempts from beyond the arc. The Tigers continued to succeed in this position, with 14 threes on 29 attempts.
The game opened up with a productive performance from Jaeden Zackery, who nailed four 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of play. The guard never seemed to cool down, notching 19 points and hitting a season-high five threes in 37 minutes of play.
The senior’s breakout stuffed the stat sheet. He either led or colead the team in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and 3-pointers made.
Throughout the first half, the Mustangs looked to give Clemson (22-5, 14-2 ACC) a run for its money. Despite leading for only 20 total seconds, SMU was able to consistently keep the game within two possessions throughout the half, and clawed its way into a mere 4-point deficit heading into intermission.
Viktor Lakhin and Chauncey Wiggins both took two fouls early in the contest, keeping the Tigers thin in the frontcourt for a majority of the first half. Christian Reeves was also out with an injury, which required key performances from Ian Schieffelin and Myles Foster.
The second half was highlighted by a string of Clemson runs, who extended the lead by as much as 18, thanks to a Chase Hunter 3-pointer. Hunter finished the second half with 12 of his 17 total points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field.
The Mustangs were never able to cut the lead within 10 after that point, as Brad Brownell’s stingy defense forced 16 turnovers from the highest scoring team in the ACC this season.
While quiet on scoring, Dillon Hunter was able to facilitate the ball well, with a season-high seven assists across 32 minutes of play.
Clemson is 4-0 by an average of 15.9 points since rolling with its three guard lineup, starting Dillon Hunter in place of forward Chauncey Wiggins. The change was made ahead of the Tigers’ win over then-No. 2 Duke.
Both teams were hot heading into the game, with Clemson coming off a three-game win streak and a 10-1 record in its last eleven games. SMU (20-7, 11-5 ACC) had won six of its last seven, elevating the club to fourth in the ACC.
Brownell and his team have now tied a program record in conference wins, set just two seasons ago. Clemson is now one game behind Duke for first place and holds the tiebreaker over the Blue Devils.
The Tigers look to build on their win streak on Wednesday against Notre Dame at Littlejohn Coliseum.
