Third-seeded Clemson took a shaky first step in pursuit of its first Atlantic Coast Conference title as Chase Hunter scored 21 points in a 57-54 quarterfinal victory over sixth-seeded SMU on Thursday in Charlotte.
Jaeden Zackery added 11 points and three steals as the Tigers (27-5) held the Mustangs without a field goal over the final 6:14 to advance to Friday’s semifinals. Clemson will face second-seeded Louisville in a matchup of teams riding winning streaks of nine and 10 games, respectively.
Ian Schieffelin contributed nine points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers, who have established a new program record for victories in a season. They entered the postseason with a No. 10 rank, their highest since 2009.
Clemson did it by outlasting SMU (23-10) in a physical, defensive slugfest. The Tigers forced 13 turnovers and harassed the Mustangs into 40 percent shooting from the floor and 1-of-14 (7.1 percent) from 3-point range.
Matt Cross scored 13 points for SMU, which is unlikely to gain an NCAA Tournament bid as it entered Thursday in the No. 44 slot in the NET rankings.
Boopie Miller added 10 points for the Mustangs, who were playing in the tournament for the first time after spending 11 seasons in the American Athletic Conference.
A layup by Miller gave SMU its final lead 51-50 with 6:14 left, but it was the Mustangs’ final field goal of the game.
Viktor Lakhin gave Clemson the lead with a jumper in the paint, and Hunter hit a fadeaway jumper from inside the free-throw line with 1:46 left, putting the Tigers up 56-52.
After SMU’s Chuck Harris missed a corner 3 with five seconds left, Hunter made one of two free throws to sew it up.
In an ugly first half, SMU committed 10 turnovers and missed all eight of its 3-point attempts but managed to trail just 28-27 at the break.
Despite also struggling on offense, Clemson led for the entire period, with its advantage ranging from one to eight points.
A corner 3-pointer by Hunter gave the Tigers a 22-14 lead with six minutes left, but they went the rest of the half without a field goal, allowing the Mustangs to creep back.
When Harris scored off a back-door cut to open the second half, SMU had its first lead.
Cross drained SMU’s lone 3-pointer of the game and added two more baskets from the paint as Mustangs took their biggest lead at 39-34 with 15 minutes left.
Clemson answered with the next seven points, with a corner trey by Hunter swinging the lead back to the Tigers, 41-39, setting the scene for a tight finish.
–Field Level Media
