Clemson Beats No. 8 Miami, Wins Fifth Straight

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Clemson Tigers took down No. 8 Miami on Saturday in front of a raucous crowd at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The win marks the first time in school history that the Tigers have beaten three ranked opponents in a row. A 13-0 run by the Tigers late in the second half clinched the 76-65 victory. Clemson is now 12-6 overall and 5-1 in the ACC. Miami fell to 13-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC.

“I thought our guys showed a lot of resiliency tonight,” said head coach Brad Brownell. “There were a couple of things that happened in the game tonight that could’ve hurt our confidence, but we executed at a very high level offensively and got the win.”

Offensively, Jaron Blossomgame had one of the best games of his career with 25 points, one shy of his career high. Jordan Roper added 18 points, six assists and five steals. Sidy Djitte stepped up with Landry Nnoko saddled with foul trouble, posting 10 rebounds.

The first half was a back and forth battle between the teams. The half saw the score tied and the lead change nine times apiece. The biggest lead for either team was 34-29 in Miami’s favor with 1:22 left to play in the half. The Tigers were able to hold the Hurricanes to 1-9 shooting inside the final 4:40 before intermission.

Clemson tied the game at 47 apiece with 12:08 to go in the second. However, Miami put up six straight; Clemson was held scoreless for three minutes until Jordan Roper hit two free throws to make the score 53-49 with 8:51 to play. The Tigers gained new momentum thanks to Blossomgame, who hit a clutch three-point shot followed by an old fashioned three-point play with 7:06 and 5:58 to play respectively. Grantham followed Blossomgame’s lead with a three-pointer that gave Clemson its first lead of the second half at 61-60.

Those points were part of the final run that allowed the Tigers to pull away from Miami, deepening their cushion to 70-61 with 1:26 left in the game.

The Tigers take to the road for a Tuesday, January 19 matchup with No. 11 Virginia, Clemson’s fourth straight top-25 opponent. The Tigers and Cavaliers are set to tip off at 8 p.m. in John Paul Jones Arena.