Field Level Media
Dec 4, 2021
Sam Waardenburg scored a team-high 18 points, and Jordan Miller scored all 13 of his points in the second half as Miami rallied to defeat visiting Clemson 80-75 on Saturday in the ACC opener for both teams.
Kameron McGusty added 15 points for Miami, and Isaiah Wong had 13. Charlie Moore added eight points and a team-high five assists for the Hurricanes.
Miami (6-3, 1-0 ACC) closed the game on a 19-5 run as the Hurricanes overcame a 70-61 deficit in the final 5:02.
Clemson (5-4, 0-1) had 18 points from PJ Hall, while David Collins and Chase Hunter added 15 points each. Collins led the Tigers with nine rebounds and five assists.
Hall was 6 of 10 on two-point shots, dominating on jump hooks deep in the paint. He was 0-for-4 on 3-pointers.
Hunter, who entered 0 of 7 on three-pointers this season, was the game's highest-scoring bench player. He was 5 of 7 from the floor and 3 of 4 on 3-pointers.
McGusty led all first-half scorers with 10 points, but Clemson had the overall advantage by taking a 40-34 lead into halftime.
Over the opening 20 minutes, Miami shot 40 percent (12 of 30) from the floor, including 5 of 12 on 3-pointers (41.7 percent). Clemson shot 48.3 percent (14 of 29) in the first half, including 7 of 12 on 3-pointers (58.3 percent).
Miami rallied to shoot 49.1 percent in the game, including 11 of 25 on 3-pointers (44 percent). Clemson shot 48.2 percent, including 9 of 21 on 3-pointers (42.9 percent).
Miller's 3-pointer from the left corner with 2:55 remaining gave Miami its first lead at 71-70. With 1:31 left, Miller made a layup on a feed from Moore, giving Miami a 75-72 advantage. Clemson never got closer than three points over the remaining 91 seconds.
The Tigers lost despite a 39-21 rebounding advantage, including 13-4 on the offensive glass. But the Tigers had 18 turnovers to eight for Miami.
--Field Level Media