Just as their NCAA tournament hopes, the Miami Hurricanes offense faded away as the final seconds ticked off the clock in Clemson, South Carolina. Miami scored just three points over the final five minutes of a 77-60 loss to the Clemson Tigers, a team they beat earlier in the season.
Clemson ended the game on a 24-3 run en route to handing the Hurricanes their third straight loss. Miami now sits 11th in the ACC with a 6-8 record. While still being 15-10 overall, the ‘Canes odds went from slim to practically none with this quad one loss on the road.
Miami trailed by only one at the break and held with the Tigers for most of the second half, but a three-pointer from Chase Hunter with just over six minutes left tied the game at 57, and Miami scored a measly three points from that point on.
Hunter, a senior from Atlanta, Georgia knocked down five threes and ended with 20 points to lead the Tigers in points. Clemson’s big man, PJ Hall also had a solid night, bringing down six boards with 13 points. Miami junior Norchad Omier did an excellent job on Hall, who came into the game as Clemson’s leading scorer.
Omer did not have a bad night, putting up his usual double-double for the ‘Canes. The Nicaraguan finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Hurricanes in both categories.
The game was a three-point battle as both teams were launching from long-range. Clemson hit 13 threes, and Miami hit 12. Miami was hitting threes, but the usual suspects were not shooting as well as they are accustomed to. Junior Nijel Pack was 0-4 from three-point land and 0-7 from the field in an extremely rare scoreless outing.
More of the same issues plagued this Miami team Wednesday night: poor perimeter defense, incontinent shooting, and turnovers. Miami often displayed poor defensive communication and had no answer for the late Clemson run.
Looking to snap their losing streak, Miami will travel to Boston to take on the Boston College Eagles next Saturday afternoon. Tip-off for this ACC matchup is set for 4:00 p.m. and will be aired on the ACC network.
All stats and data via ESPN and Statsbroadcast.com unless otherwise noted.