CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Nijel Pack scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half, Matthew Cleveland and Norchad Omier each added 23, and Miami beat No. 16 Clemson 95-82 on Wednesday night to improve to 9-0 at home this season.
Kyshawn George and Bensley Joseph each added 12 for the Hurricanes (11-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who are 7-3 against ranked opponents since last season. Pack scored 13 of Miami’s points in a 21-6 run, giving the Hurricanes a nine-point lead with 10 minutes left, and they stayed up the rest of the way.
Joseph Girard III scored 18 points, and PJ Hall scored 17 before fouling out for Clemson (11-2, 1-1). Chase Hunter scored 16 for the Tigers — who led by six at the half, by eight early in the second half, and were seeking their first 12-1 start since the 2017-18 season.
Instead, the defense fell apart. Miami made 12 of 14 shots in an 11-minute stretch of the second half and wound up shooting 75% — 21 for 28 — in the final 20 minutes.
And it was with a new lineup for the Hurricanes. Wooga Poplar, Miami’s second-leading scorer, missed the game with a sprained ankle. George started in his place and got all 12 of his points on 3-pointers.
Chauncey Wiggins scored 12, and Ian Schieffelin had 11 for Clemson.
BIG PICTURE
Clemson: No active player has more points against Miami than Girard, who has scored 118 in his six career appearances against the Hurricanes. He scored 100 in five games against Miami when he was at Syracuse. Girard, who is New York’s all-time leading New York high school scorer — his 4,763 points at Glens Falls High is about 1,800 more than anyone else in state history — considered Miami before signing with Syracuse.
Miami: Poplar’s streak of 54 consecutive games ended, and the Hurricanes used their third starting lineup, matching their total from last season. Poplar had started 48 of 49 games in the previous two seasons; the exception was last season’s home finale when Miami paid tribute to its seniors. Poplar was unfazed, making six 3-pointers as Miami won to clinch the No. 1 seed in the ACC.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Clemson has appeared in each of the last five polls, and a loss on the road to a team that was ranked as high as No. 8 earlier this season likely won’t knock the Tigers out of the rankings. But the North Carolina game on Saturday will undoubtedly play a significant role in voters' decisions before the next poll comes out on Monday.
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