M. Basketball Falls to No. 24 Clemson, 82-81 – Florida State University
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Clemson’s Chase Hunter scored the final three points of the game on an old-fashioned three-point play with 4.5 seconds remaining to give the visiting Tigers an 82-81 win over Florida State at the Donald L. Tucker Center. Hunter made a driving layup to tie the game, then won the game with the ensuing free throw to give Clemson its 17th victory of the season. The Seminoles were unable to get a shot off before the clock expired, and Clemson took its 10th ACC win of the season.
In a game that saw eight lead changes and four ties, Florida State took the lead on a 3-point by Calen Mills with 2:18 remaining to be played. The Seminoles maintained their lead, and led 81-79 with 8.5 seconds remaining. Clemson then inbounded the ball, and Hunter drove to the basket, scored and was fouled to tie the game and set up the game-winning free throw.
Clemson’s Hunter Tyson scored a game-high 27 points on ten made field goals to lead the No. 24 Tigers to the win. Tyson led three Tigers in double-figure scoring, with Hunter (26 points) and PJ Hall (17 points) also in double figures.
Clemson leads the Atlantic Coast Conference with an 18-4 season record.
Darin Green Jr. started his 80th consecutive game against Clemson. In Saturday’s game, he made four three pointers for a total of 66 3-point shots made this season, which moved the junior guard into sole possession of 15th place for the highest single-season total in school history.
Caleb Mills made his 100th career 3-point field goal, surpassing the milestone after shooting four for seven (.571) from beyond the arc, bringing his total to 103 total career three-pointers.. This result of Mills’ impressive 3-point shooting over his last 11 games has allowed him to make 19 three-pointers. Mills’ 15 points on Saturday advanced his double-figure scoring streak to 12 games.
Cameron Corhen earned a career-high with two steals against Clemson, surpassing his original one steal career-high in five different games (Miami, Pitt, St. John’s, USC Upstate, and Stanford).
Matthew Cleveland scored in double figures with 18 points on six made field goals and three for three free throws for his 15th consecutive game this season.
A turn of events for Florida State didn’t come without a hard fight late in the first half. After Clemson began the game with a 16-2 scoring run, the Seminoles quickly scrambled to come within three points of the Tigers in the middle of the half after two consecutive three pointers from Caleb Mills and Darin Green Jr., only 24 seconds apart from one another.
The last scoring run Clemson earned was a 9-3 point spread, giving the Tigers their final first half lead over Florida State, 30-21. From there, the Seminoles used the remaining six minutes of the half to go on a 13-3 scoring run, leading Clemson into intermission, 34-33.
Florida State finished with a .375 shooting percentage (12-32) from the field, out-scoring their opponent who only made 11 field goals for the half. Both teams had six made three-pointers, with Florida State shooting .375 (six-16) from beyond the arc.
The second half was filled with excitement for both teams, as the Seminoles and Tigers each shared the lead, with a total of eight lead changes during the game. Florida State held their largest lead by seven points three minutes into the second half.
Clemson went on their largest scoring run of the half over six minutes, scoring 16 points versus the Seminoles’ seven. Florida State quickly regained their lead on a 10-0 scoring run over three minutes, never wavering their lead throughout the remaining eight minutes until the final seconds of the game.
The Seminoles scored 22 points in the paint and 22 points off the bench, out-scoring Clemson’s 11 points off the bench. Off of their opponent’s 18 turnovers, Florida State scored 22 points and had 15 fast break points.
Overall, Florida State shot 27-62 (.435) from the field, 13-30 (.433) from beyond the arc, and 14-20 (.700) from the charity stripe.
The Seminoles will travel to the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina to face off against the North Carolina State Wolf Pack with tip off at 9:00pm. The game will be televised on ACCN.
Florida State is on a six game win-streak against N.C. State, with their most recent win being the two team’s last matchup at the Donald L. Tucker Center on March 5, 2022, capturing an 89-76 victory. North Carolina State holds a 31-30 winning record against the Seminoles.
