Clemson, S.C. ― The Syracuse Orange hung with the Clemson Tigers for the first 10 minutes of their game here at Littlejohn Coliseum on Wednesday.
Then the Tigers bared their claws and tore into the Orange.
Clemson outscored Syracuse 28-10 over the last 10 minutes of the first half, taking a 48-29 lead into the halftime break. The Tigers would cruise from there, never letting Syracuse get closer than 16 points until the final minutes of the game en route to a 86-72 victory.
The loss dropped Syracuse’s record to 9-10 for the season and 3-5 in the ACC. Clemson (16-4, 8-1 ACC) won for the seventh time in its last eight games
JJ Starling went over 20 points for the fourth time in SU’s last five games. He finished with 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting.
Clemson guard Chase Hunter led the Tigers with 23 points. Viktor Lakhin, a 6-11 center, registered a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Clemson capitalized on Syracuse’s 14 turnovers, an issue that has plagued the Orange all season. The Tigers scored 19 points off the Orange’s turnovers. It was a huge advantage as Syracuse had just four points off Clemson’s seven turnovers.
Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman did not play in Wednesday’s game. This was the fifth game in a row that the freshman forward has been forced to miss due to an injured right foot.
The game was decided by halftime and, for all intents and purposes, in those final 10 minutes of the first half.
The Tigers built their lead on an opportunistic defense and scorching-hot offense. Syracuse committed nine turnovers in the first half and Clemson turned those into a 14-0 points off turnovers advantage.
