Clemson falls to Miami, drops second straight game

Clemson has dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season as the Tigers suffered a 78-74 loss to Miami Saturday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Miami got hot early in the second half and built a 12-point lead with 13 minutes remaining.

Clemson pulled to within 3 on multiple occasions in the second half and got to within 2 in the final second. But the Tigers could never get over the hump as they suffered their first home loss of the season.

“Tough game. I thought we played reasonably well tonight. Both teams executed offensively pretty well in the game,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “Defensively I just didn’t think we did enough good things to get enough stops to win. They were probably just a little too comfortable throughout.”

Miami made 4 of its first 5 3-point attempts to open the second half to turn a tied game into a double-digit lead.

Clemson countered by going small, but then offensive rebounding became an issue. The Tigers allowed 9 offensive rebounds, while collecting only 2.

Clemson lost, despite shooting a better percentage from the field, 3-point line and free throw line.

“We shoot 48 percent, we have 17 assists, we make 10 3’s. We just didn’t stop them,” Brownell said. “They’re a very talented offensive team. We needed two more stops to win the game and for whatever reason tonight we just weren’t quite good enough to get it.”

Nijel Pack led the way for Miami, finishing with a game-high 20 points.

PJ Hall had 19 points for Clemson, while Brevin Galloway (15) and Hunter Tyson (13) also reached double figures.

While those three veterans had strong games, junior point guard Chase Hunter struggled from the field for the second consecutive game.

The Atlanta native made only 3 of his 12 shot attempts, finishing with 6 points.

“I think he’s probably a little tired. I really do,” Brownell said. “I probably played him too much tonight. I needed to take him out again and give him 3-4 more minutes of rest, keep him fresh. That’s my mistake. I do think there’s been a little fatigue with Chase.”

With the loss, Clemson falls to 18-6 (10-3). However, the Tigers are still atop the ACC standings, a half game ahead of Virginia.

Up next, Clemson gets a much-needed week off before playing at North Carolina next Saturday.

“It’s good. We need it. I think our team’s a little tired,” Brownell said. “We’re tired physically, not just mentally. There’s some physical fatigue from guys playing through some injuries and playing all these minutes and all these games.”