Clemson Falls to Syracuse, 82-81

CLEMSON, S.C. (CAC)— Tyus Battle hit a three-pointer as time expired to give Syracuse its fifth straight win and a 82-81 victory over Clemson on Tuesday. The win improved the Orange to 16-9 overall, 8-4 in the ACC. Clemson fell to 13-10 overall, 3-8 in league play.

Battle’s three came after Syracuse inbounded with just a few seconds remaining. Donte Grantham had just hit a jumper in the paint to lift the Tigers to an 81-79 lead. But Syracuse’s 10th three-pointer of the game swished through the net from the right baseline, giving the Orange their first win in the series since 2013-14.

Andrew White III led all players with 23 points, and hit half of Syracuse’s three-point tally. Jaron Blossomgame led five double-figure scorers for the Tigers with 20 points. Avry Holmes added 13, while Shelton Mitchell contributed 10 points and eight assists. Clemson shot 54 percent for the game, while Syracuse was not far behind at 51. Both teams were sharp at the free throw line, converting 14-17. But the Orange controlled the rebound margin in the second half and were +9 for the game, owning a 10-point edge on second chance scoring.

Clemson led 22-10 behind Holmes’ hot start and a lob from Mitchell to Blossomgame that brought the crowd to its feet. But Syracuse stayed in it behind the play of Tyler Lydon, who posted eight of his 17 in the opening frame. Down 34-32 with two minutes before halftime, White gave Cuse a lead on consecutive three-pointers. Clemson responded with six straight points to end the half, with Marcquise Reed accounting for the last four, to take a 40-38 advantage into intermission.

Blossomgame came to life in the second half. After four quick points midway through the half, including his second alley-oop from Mitchell, the Tigers took a 61-53 lead. The lead grew to as many as nine in the second frame, but Syracuse thundered back within two at 70-68. The Orange took a one-point lead at 77-76 on White’s fifth long ball, but Holmes answered on the other end to put the Tigers right back on top with 1:25 to play. Cuse tied it at 79 on two Lydon free throws, setting the stage for the frantic final seconds.

The Tigers travel to Durham, N.C., to take on No. 18 Duke on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Clemson vs. Syracuse

Postgame Notes

• The Tigers made nine three-pointers, the third straight contest against Syracuse that Clemson made at least eight long balls against the Orange.

• Clemson’s four ACC home losses have come by a combined nine points, the last two by a single point.

• Prior to Tuesday’s game, Clemson was 4-1 when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor.

• Jaron Blossomgame scored double figures for the 22nd time in 23 games this season, and for the 77th time in his career.

• Blossomgame secured his seventh 20-point ACC game of the season. It was the second straight 20-point game for him against the Orange.

• Blossomgame’s total is the most 20-point ACC games by a Tiger player since Terrell McIntyre, who also had 20 from 1995-99.

• Avry Holmes connected on his first three-point shot, his ninth make in a streak of 10 attempts. It was his 200th career three-pointer, including his two seasons at San Francisco.

• Over his last three games, Holmes has hit 11-16 (.687) from three-point distance.

• Gabe DeVoe posted his first double-figure scoring night (10 points) since the Virginia game on Jan. 14.

• Sidy Djitte collected double-figure rebounds a second consecutive contest. He finished with a game-high 11 boards.

• Shelton Mitchell collected eight assists, his highest single-game total without a turnover in 50 career games.

• Marcquise Reed had a career-high six assists.