Miami pulls away from Clemson with blistering second half
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The Hurricanes shot 75 percent from the field after halftime and the Tigers couldn’t keep pace.
Nigel Pack scored 25 points, and Miami made 21 of its 28 field-goal attempts in the second half to turn a six-point halftime deficit into a 95-82 win over Clemson on Wednesday night in Coral Gables.
Matthew Cleveland and Norchad Omier each added 23 points of their own, as the Hurricanes seemingly couldn’t miss after the break.
Miami led by as many as six in the early-going, but the Tigers worked diligently to hang around with a balanced offensive effort and eventually took a 27-25 lead on an Ian Schieffelin 3-pointer with seven minutes remaining in the half.
They stretched the margin to 41-35 on Chauncey Wiggins’ 3-pointer in the final minute and took that lead into the locker room. With Miami’s offense yet to click, freshman Keyshawn George unexpectedly kept the Hurricanes in the game with four first-half 3-pointers.
Chase Hunter’s layup three minutes into the second half gave Clemson another six-point lead at 49-43, but then the floodgates opened.
The Hurricanes — fueled by Pack and Cleveland — went on a 15-2 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes and never let up from there. The torrid shooting continued en route to a 60-point second half for Miami, and Clemson found itself unable to keep up.
The Tigers still trailed by just four after a PJ Hall basket with 6:34 remaining, but Cleveland hit a tough turnaround jumper on the next Miami possession and Clemson never got back within striking distance.
Joseph Girard III led the Tigers with 18 points, with Hall and Hunter adding 17 and 16, respectively.
Schieffelin posted a double-double, and Wiggins chipped in 12 points on four 3-pointers.
Clemson hosts North Carolina on Saturday at noon.
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