Hunter scores 21, No. 10 Clemson battles back to beat SMU 57-54 to reach ACC Tournament semifinals
Posted/updated on: March 14, 2025 at 7:35 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chase Hunter scored 21 points, Jaeden Zackery added 11 points and No. 10 Clemson battled back to beat SMU 57-54 on Thursday night for its ninth straight win to reach the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals.
Ian Schieffelin chipped in with nine points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers (27-5), who are seeking their first ACC Tournament title.
Matt Cross led SMU (23-10) with 13 points, while Boopie Miller had 10.
SMU led most of the second half, but Viktor Lakhin’s lane jumper gave the Tigers a 52-51 lead with 4:50 left in the game.
SMU had a chance to tie or take the lead after Hunter missed a 3 with 17 seconds left. The Mustangs called timeout with 12.5 seconds left, but Chuck Harris missed a corner 3. There was a battle for the rebound before the ball went out of bounds. It was initially ruled the ball went off a Clemson player, but after reviewing the play officials ruled SMU touched the ball last.
Hunter was fouled on the inbounds play and made a free throw with 2.1 seconds. Cross’ full-court heave at the buzzer fell short.
Takeaways
SMU: Cross picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half, but the Mustangs didn’t waiver and stayed right with the Tigers until the end.
Clemson: Starting guard Dillon Hunter appeared to jam a finger late in the first half and did not return. Coach Brad Brownell said after the game Hunter might have broken his hand. Hunter had an ice bag on his right hand in the locker room after the game. He will have X-rays on Friday.
Key moment
Hunter drove through the lane, stopped and then hit a turnaround jumper to put Clemson up by four with less than two minutes remaining.
Key stat
SMU finished 1 of 14 from 3-point range.
Up next
Clemson moves on to face No. 13 Louisville, a 75-73 winner over Stanford, in the semifinals. SMU looks to be headed to the NIT.
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