Clemson basketball's Joseph Girard III shines in return to Syracuse as Tigers win key ACC game
Clemson basketball avoided a misstep at Syracuse on Saturday, holding off the Orange 77-68 in a key ACC game at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Former Syracuse standout Joseph Girard III paced the Tigers with 18 points.
It was the second consecutive ACC road victory for the Tigers, who evened their ACC record at 6-6.
Clemson (16-7, 6-6 ACC) became just the second team to win at Syracuse this season. The Orange (15-9, 6-7) are 11-2 at home.
Clemson led by 15 points before the Orange sliced the Tigers’ lead to one, 59-58, with 4:14 remaining and tied the score at 60 with 3:37 left. Clemson outscored Syracuse 17-8 the rest of the way to wrap up the victory.
PJ Hall had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Chase Hunter had 14 points and Ian Schieffelin 13, including a key 3-pointer with 1:25 left that gave the Tigers an eight-point cushion. Girard made four free throws in the final 72 seconds to help keep the Orange at bay.
"The free-throw shooting down the stretch was big for our guys," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "I give our older guys credit. It's not going to be easy. These guys (Syracuse) are 11-1 up here, and they had a huge crowd today. It gets loud in here. But we took a deep breath and a couple of big baskets and handled the ball against the press."
Clemson had won only once in its previous five trips to Syracuse under Brownell.
Clemson basketball's Joseph Girard III shines in homecoming
Girard played for Syracuse for four seasons before transferring to Clemson as a graduate last summer, so Saturday’s game marked his first return to his former home court.
Girard didn’t disappoint. The Tigers’ 3-point sharpshooter, who ranks third all-time in the ACC in 3-pointers made, was 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Included in his 18 points was the 2,000th of his career.
It was Girard’s ninth consecutive game scoring in double figures.
“I’m proud of him,” Brownell said. "We’re trying to get him 12 shots a game. It’s hard to break him free. To Joe’s credit, he did not take bad shots. He stayed within the offense, he moved, he accepted sometimes he’s not going to get a shot. Just Joe being on the floor is significant. Joe’s efficiency is so good. His poise down the stretch was terrific.”
Turnovers plague Clemson basketball at Syracuse
After flashing outstanding ball control in back-to-back ACC games against Virginia and North Carolina, Clemson lost the handle too frequently at Syracuse on Saturday. The Orange rank second in the ACC in steals at 9.17 per game and showed why against the Tigers, recording 14 steals.
That helped lead to 21 turnovers by the Tigers, which easily eclipsed their season high of 15 in earlier games against Memphis and Florida State. The 21 turnovers were one shy of Clemson’s all-time record under coach Brad Brownell, dating back to 22 turnovers in a loss at Florida State in 2017.
Schieffelin and Hall, who both missed some practice time this week, combined for 11 turnovers.
“Our big guys just did not do a good job,” Brownell said. “You can’t simulate (Syracuse’s) kind of speed and athleticism.”
Clemson's inside dominance pays off in big way
Brownell predicted before the game that the Tigers would need to capitalize on an inside size advantage against the Orange. The Tigers did that and more.
Keyed by starters Hall, Schieffelin and Jack Clark, Clemson outrebounded Syracuse 41-24. Hall and Clark each had 10 rebounds while Schieffelin had six. The Tigers also blocked five shots.
“Clark also did a good job on Chris Bell and he’s a hard cover,” Brownell said. “His presence with rebounding was big. He certainly has helped our team tremendously.”
The Tigers’ inside presence also was evident in the final score – 48 of the Tigers’ 77 points were scored in the paint. Clemson had 18 layups and four dunks.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson basketball defeats Syracuse behind Joseph Girard III
