Clemson men’s basketball (16-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) used a dominant first-half performance to secure an 86-72 victory over Syracuse (9-10, 3-5 ACC) Wednesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers closed the opening half with a 10-0 run and held the Orange scoreless for the final 4:54, building a 48-29 halftime lead that proved insurmountable.
It was domination from start to finish by @ClemsonMBB in its 86-72 win over @Cuse_MBB.@IanNicholasTV and @JLeonard1013 had the call from Littlejohn Coliseum. pic.twitter.com/oFxRNDjMbp
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) January 23, 2025
Despite a late push in the second half, Syracuse was unable to cut the deficit to single digits. Clemson capitalized on turnovers, scoring 14 points off nine first-half giveaways by the Orange.
“You can’t come down here against Clemson and not play for 40 minutes,” said head coach Adrian Autry, “We knew that, we talked about that, and we didn’t do that.”
Syracuse guard J.J. Starling continued his stellar play, scoring 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including a season-high five three-pointers. Starling tallied 17 of his points in the first half to keep Syracuse within reach. Center Eddie Lampkin Jr. added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds, falling one board short of his fifth consecutive double-double.
Clemson was led by Chase Hunter’s 23 points, and three other Tigers scored in double figures. The Tigers controlled the interior, doubling Syracuse’s output in the paint, 40-20, and outpacing the Orange in points off turnovers, 14-0.
“I don’t really care what I’m doing numbers wise, I just want to win” said Lampkin “That’s all that really matters, it’s not about individuals.”
Despite @Cuse_MBB falling 86-72 to @ClemsonMBB, SU guard JJ Starling finished with a game-high 25 points. @ajmyerstv believes the Orange need to find a second option.
— WAER Sports Talk (@WAERSportsTalk) January 23, 2025
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Syracuse improved in the second half, committing just five turnovers and outscoring Clemson 43-38, but the early hole was too deep.
“We had our opportunities to keep this game going into halftime pretty close,” added Autry, “We just didn’t cash in on those opportunities.”
The Orange bench contributed 20 points, led by Kyle Cuffe Jr.’s nine. Syracuse also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, including four from Lampkin Jr., but Clemson’s efficient offense proved too much to overcome.
Syracuse returns home to host Pittsburgh at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Tune in to 88.3 FM and waer.org for McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff starting at 12.