Clemson Tigers Stifle Hurricanes in Close Contest at Littlejohn

The Clemson Tigers and the Miami Hurricanes faced off in their second matchup of the season on Saturday, which saw the Tigers win the season series with the Hurricanes 2-0.

CLEMSON, S.C.- Head coach Brad Brownell and the Clemson Tigers found themselves back at Littlejohn Coliseum for the first time in 15 days on Saturday, facing off against the Miami Hurricanes in a hotly contested game from start to finish.

The Tigers took care of business 66-56 in a contest that was closer than Brownell would have preferred against a team with the second-worst record in ACC play in 2021.

Brownell and the Tigers went into the Miami game with plenty of pressure, as Clemson is perfectly poised to push for a top-four seed in the ACC and earn a double-bye in the ACC Tournament once the regular season concludes.

Clemson improves to 15-5 on the season and 9-5 in ACC play, while Miami drops to 7-15 on the year and 3-14 in ACC play. Brownell and the Tigers now hold a 17-13 series lead all-time vs the Hurricanes.

Key Play: Hunter Tyson canned a three-pointer with 1:50 left in the second half that extended the Tigers' late-game lead to 11 points, a lead that was absolutely critical to staving off a late Miami run.

Player of the game: Aamir Simms is primed to take player of the game honors almost every time he steps on the floor. Simms currently leads the Tigers in points, rebounds, and assists, and did not disappoint against the Hurricanes finishing with 19 points and 6 rebounds, almost single-handedly keeping the rebound battle close against a bigger Miami team.

Coaches decision: Al-Amir Dawes scored 12 points for Brownell and the Tigers in the first half as the third man off of the bench and was an instant impact for the Tigers, scoring 10 of his 19 points during the middle of the first period where Dawes accounted for two three-pointers, two steals, and two layups in the span of 88 seconds that put Clemson in control for the remainder of the first half.

Stat of the game: The Tigers forced 13 turnovers against the Hurricanes, which were absolutely crucial in stopping Isaiah Wong's 28 points and a late-game push from Miami.

Up next: The Tigers head to New York on Wednesday to take on the Syracuse Orange in the Dome with a tipoff scheduled for 5 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network.