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When J.J. Starling drained a right-wing 2 to even the score at 60-60, it was the first time Syracuse was tied with Clemson since the score was 7-7 early in the first half.

In that gap, SU dug itself into a 31-16 hole in the first half. Syracuse eventually stormed back in a tale of two halves. But in the final few minutes, Clemson (16-7, 6-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) played just like it did to get itself that early large lead — outscoring SU 17-8 in the final 3:15 — and it was just enough to get past Syracuse (15-9, 6-7 ACC) 77-68.

“Our last four minutes, when we battled so well to get back in, our discipline on both sides of the game was not there,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said.

It was a much different second half for the Orange, who couldn’t buy a basket in the first. They shot below 30% from the field and the 3-point line, tying the fewest amount of first-half points of the season with 24, which Syracuse had versus Virginia in December. Autry said the first-half defense was “good” but the factor of the deficit was the offense.

As for Clemson, it was the opposite, converting over 55% of its first-half attempts. But the Orange, who relied on essentially a six-man rotation, fought back, slowly cutting that once 15-point Clemson lead, though it wasn’t enough as Syracuse couldn’t spoil Joe Girard III’s first trip back to Syracuse.

Clemson’s 14-0 run in the first half, complemented by Syracuse’s six points in a nearly 12-minute span dug Syracuse into a deep hole. Autry said Clemson’s defense was not the reason for the drought, but rather what his team was doing. Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said in both halves that his starters didn’t play well to begin each half, crediting his bench.

“It’s us,” Autry said of lapses like the first half and the final few minutes of the game. “I think this is what was the most frustrating thing is this game was us. We did what we needed to do to get back into the game, and then the last four minutes, we didn’t do the things that we needed to do to win.”

Following Starling’s tying bucket, the Tigers went on a 7-0 run. Clemson scored two buckets underneath the basket to extend its lead 64-60 with 2:28 remaining, prompting Autry to call timeout.

Then, after Syracuse turned the ball over, Girard shook off Quadir Copeland and found Ian Schieffelin in the right corner, who drained a 3 to increase the Tigers’ lead to 67-60 — an advantage that grew to nine by the final buzzer. The Tigers only had six 3s, but when they made them, they often killed Syracuse’s momentum.

Girard made four free throws down the stretch to help keep the Orange at bay. In his return to the Dome, he finished with a game-high 18 points, achieving 2,000 career points. Twelve of his points came from beyond the 3-point line.

In his first return to Syracuse since committing to Clemson in May, Girard was welcomed with a mixture of applause and boos, mainly from the student section, who jeered each time Girard possessed the ball. Girard drained a dagger 3 in the middle of a 14-0 run in the first half to help get Clemson a double-digit lead.

He also added his second one during the run, pulling up for a deep-right-wing 3 that gave Clemson a 27-12 advantage, the first bucket after an SU timeout during the run. In between the 3s, Jack Clark scored a tip-in, RJ Godfrey scored on Maliq Brown underneath and then Dillon Hunter intercepted a poor pass from Starling to Mintz on the wing that resulted in an easy bucket.

“We knew if we got off to a great start, they’re gonna fight back — there’s going to be a run,” Brownell said. “Unfortunately, I was really disappointed in our beginning of the second half.”

Bell, who tied Starling for a team-high 16 points, got the Orange going in the second half. After missing a 3 over Girard, he redeemed himself with a 3 from the left-wing, drawing the foul on Clark. He missed the free throw, but the play narrowed the deficit to five. Then, Justin Taylor told Bell to cut toward the free-throw line. Bell did, receiving a pass from Taylor which set him up with two free throws to trim the lead to 39-34.

As the Orange kept getting closer to Clemson’s lead, Mintz paced the ball up the floor, looking for options. Instead, he took the possession over himself, dribbling and stopping at the free-throw line and scoring a tough jumper — his second consecutive basket. The play brought the Orange, who once trailed by 15 within three. Clemson called timeout, only leading 52-49.

“It’s really just about executing, knowing your time and taking good shots,” Bell said.

Autry’s preferred lineup throughout the game was Bell, Mintz, Starling, Brown and Copeland. All five players notched 25 or more minutes while Taylor had 19. Autry only played seven total players Saturday. Not playing Kyle Cuffe Jr. was a coach’s decision and Peter Carey was out with an injury — on top of Naheem McLeod’s season-ending injury and Benny Williams’ dismissal.

Taylor said it’s “different” playing with just six or seven guys since the depth was an important aspect of this team. He said it’s hard when the game is going back-and-forth, but he’s confident in the team’s conditioning to play all 40 minutes. Mounir Hima had come into the game as the seventh player, filling in for Brown, who found himself in foul trouble.

Syracuse didn’t tire in the final few minutes, it just didn’t execute and some of the plays they made hurt it, Bell said. But when it came down to the wire, unlike wins over Louisville and Miami at home, Syracuse was on the losing end.

“We started being less disciplined, and Clemson was able to capitalize off that. That loss was entirely on us (and) our mistakes,” Starling said.

Published on February 10, 2024 at 2:31 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini