Clemson keeps it close but falls to No. 9 Duke. What we learned about Tigers
Clemson gave Duke all it had Tuesday night but could not hold on for an upset on the road.
The ninth-ranked Blue Devils used a late 6-0 run to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the 71-69 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Clemson’s David Collins scored with one second left on the clock, forcing both teams to call a timeout. The Tigers pressed, but the Blue Devils were able to inbound the ball and end Clemson’s upset bid.
“You look at the stat sheet, we did everything we could do in terms of 19 assists, made 10 3s or 12 3s, whatever it is, took care of the ball and guarded them as well as we could guard them,” Tigers head coach Brad Brownell said. “It just wasn’t quite good enough. Great game. Our team’s getting better and really just proud of our guys for their fight tonight.”
Keeping it close
In the first half, Clemson and Duke traded leads 14 times with the two teams tying four times. The Tigers opened the game with the first lead on a midrange jumper from Hunter Tyson, and the Blue Devils responded with a 6-0 run.
The largest lead for either team in the first half was five points after a 3-pointer from Clemson’s Alex Hemenway for a 31-26 advantage late in the first half.
Clemson also scored 12 points off nine turnovers from Duke, which was playing without its second-leading scorer in Trevor Keels.
“Our guys really tried to swarm and just make them uncomfortable as much as we can,” Brownell said. “They’re big, strong, physical players. They knocked us around a little bit, so we tried to get some hands in there to get some deflections, have active hands.”
Sharpshooting success
The Tigers had some scoring droughts, but when they did get up shots, they were good ones. The group shot 42% from 3-point range, which was needed against a much taller Duke squad.
After the Blue Devils took their largest lead of the night — 60-53 with 9:25 to go in regulation — Tyson drained a 3-pointer, which was followed by Hunter’s bucket in transition. Nick Honor kept the scoring going with a 3-pointer to give the Tigers their first lead since the first half.
The one place Clemson didn’t have much success shooting was from the free throw line. The Tigers only had one free throw opportunity, which came eight minutes into the second half. When asked if he was surprised by the lack of trips, Brownell, responded, “Yes.”
“That’s happened here before, too,” he added after a brief pause.
Chase Hunter’s impact
After earning a starting spot against Pitt, Tigers sophomore guard Chase Hunter got his second start of the season against the Blue Devils. He provided a spark for Clemson and scored 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting on the night. After Duke had taken a 63-61 lead, Hunter tied the game with a quick shot.
Clemson men’s basketball’s next game
Who: Clemson vs. Florida State
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson
Watch: ACC Network
Box score: No. 9 Duke 71, Clemson 69
CLEMSON (11-9): Hall 6-21 0-0 14, Tyson 6-12 0-0 13, Collins 4-8 0-0 9, Dawes 2-5 0-0 6, Hunter 5-10 0-0 12, Honor 3-7 0-0 8, Hemenway 2-4 0-1 5, Bohannon 1-3 0-0 2, Middlebrooks 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-71 0-1 69.
DUKE (16-3): Banchero 8-15 1-1 19, Griffin 1-7 3-3 5, Moore 4-10 2-2 13, Williams 3-3 4-5 10, Roach 3-8 1-2 8, Baker 4-5 0-0 11, Jones 2-3 0-0 5, John 0-1 0-0 0, Blakes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 11-13 71.
Halftime—36-36. 3-Point Goals—Clemson 11-26 (Hunter 2-2, Dawes 2-4, Honor 2-5, Hall 2-7, Collins 1-1, Hemenway 1-3, Tyson 1-3, Bohannon 0-1), Duke 10-20 (Baker 3-4, Moore 3-5, Banchero 2-5, Jones 1-2, Roach 1-3, Griffin 0-1). Rebounds—Clemson 37 (Hall 10), Duke 30 (Williams 10). Assists—Clemson 19 (Dawes, Hunter 5), Duke 18 (Roach 9). Total Fouls—Clemson 13, Duke 10. A—9,314 (9,314).
This story was originally published January 25, 2022 at 9:04 PM.
