Pack’s 20 help No. 23 Miami close out Clemson late, 78-74
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Nijel Pack scored 20 points and Isaiah Wong 15 as No. 23 Miami used a second-half burst to hold off No. 20 Clemson 78-74 on Saturday.
Wong and Pack each hit 3-pointers right after halftime for the Hurricanes (18-5, 9-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who used a 21-9 run to open a 56-44 lead with 11:10 to play.
The Tigers trimmed the deficit to 76-74 on Alex Hemenway’s 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds to play. Pack was fouled on the inbounds and calmly made two foul shots to finish off the victory.
Clemson (18-6, 10-3) lost its second straight game after opening ACC play 10-1.
The Hurricanes stepped up their offense after halftime. Pack had 14 of his points in the final half while Wong had 11 points over the final 20 minutes. Miami hit six of its nine 3-pointers in that period.
Wooga Poplar added 14 points for Miami while Jordan Miller had 12.
PJ Hall had 17 of his team-high 19 points in the second half for the Tigers. Hunter Tyson added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Miami came in with the ACC’s third-highest-scoring offense while Clemson was third in the league in defense.
The Hurricanes used a 16-8 run closed on Miller’s tip-in of his own miss to lead 30-25 with five minutes left in the half.
But Tyson hit a pair of threes, had a step-back basket, and took a charge on the other end as Clemson answered with a 10-1 burst to move in front 35-31.
Miami, though, answered last as Harlond Beverly’s jam in the final minute tied things at 35-all heading to the break.
The Hurricanes did a strong job early on Clemson’s main force down low in Hall, holding the 14-point-a-game scorer to 1-of-5 shooting and just one rebound the first 20 minutes.
Clemson did a similar job on Miami’s driving force, Wong, who also made one of his five first-half attempts.
BIG PICTURE
Miami: The Hurricanes showed the scoring punch and defense that’s kept them among the Top 25 this season. They were six of 12 on 3-pointers in the second half and hit 13 of 15 foul shots to thwart a Clemson comeback.
Clemson: The Tigers have had a difficult week, the first-place ACC team losing at Boston College 62-54 before getting run over early in the second half against Miami. The 0-2 stretch will likely mean Clemson will drop from the poll, although they’ll still be on top in the ACC standings.
UP NEXT
Miami goes home to play Duke on Monday night.
Clemson heads to North Carolina on Feb. 11.
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