Clemson Tigers Extend Winning Streak in Victory Over Syracuse Orange

The Clemson Tigers were able to extend their winning streak with a comfortable victory against the Syracuse Orange

Jan 18, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell (right talks with guard Chase Hunter (1) against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Coming into a somewhat rare Wednesday matchup for the Clemson Tigers, they were looking to extend their winning streak to four games with a win over the Syracuse Orange.

It has been a tough season for the Orange overall and in the conference. Despite being known as an excellent basketball program, Syracuse simply hasn’t been playing well this season.

That trend continued for Syracuse as it lost to Clemson (16-4, 8-1 in ACC), 86-72, in what became a comfortable win for the Tigers.

Things couldn’t have gotten off to a better start for the Tigers in this one. They had an excellent 20 minutes of basketball to start the game. In the first half, they scored 48 points and allowed just 29 to the Orange.

Despite Syracuse hitting the same number of 3-pointers, Clemson guard Chase Hunter led the way in the first half. The talented guard totaled 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, which included going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.

It was also an impressive first half for J.J. Starling of the Orange. He was able to score 17 of the team's 29 points in the first 20 minutes. However, there wasn’t much else on the offensive end of the court for Syracuse.

One of the main issues for the Orange was the turnover differential. Syracuse turned the ball over nine times compared to just two for Clemson. This helped contribute to the Tigers getting nine more shot attempts and building a big early lead.

In the second half, Clemson didn’t let off the gas much at all despite the big lead. While Hunter took a bit of a step back in terms of his scoring, it was forward Viktor Lahkin who stepped up.

The center for the Tigers was able to record a double-double, with most of his damage coming after halftime. He finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Overall it was one of the better games of the season on offense for Clemson, as it should have been against a weaker opponent. The Tigers shot the ball well from both the field and from 3-point range, and it was a fairly balanced attack as well.

Syracuse did shoot the ball pretty well in the loss, but they simply committed far too many turnovers and gave Clemson too many extra possessions.

Next up for the Tigers, they will be traveling north for a matchup against the Virginia Tech Hokies on early Saturday evening. With the Hokies under .500 overall, Clemson will be seeking yet another conference win.