Tigers Fall Short Against Irish Without Simms
CLEMSON — Clemson got a career-high 16 points from freshman guard Alex Hemenway, but without leading scorer and rebounder Aamir Simms, it wasn't enough as the Tigers fell 61-57 to Notre Dame on Sunday at Littlejohn Coliseum.
"I'm really proud of the way our guys competed. Obviously we had chances. We had the seven point lead in the second half," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "We just don’t make enough shots. It’s been hard on us at times. We feel like we get some decent shots. We’ve got to knock them down."
Simms, who averages 13.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, sat out Sunday with the flu. Brownell said after the game that Simms showed up to Saturday's practice under the weather. They sent him home in hopes nobody else catches it, and Brownell doesn't know if Simms will be back for Wednesday's game at Pitt.
"These are tough times. Kids’ immune systems are down and you just hope it doesn’t get contagious," Brownell said. "We’re already limited in bodies. We need everybody."
In his absence, the Tigers shot 36 percent from the field and were outrebounded 35-31. Tevin Mack added 16 points for Clemson, but no other Tigers reached double figures.
Trey Jamison defends Notre Dame's Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Juwan Durham on Sunday at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
"We had enough guys here today to win," Brownell said. "It’s a little disrespectful to the team that wins to complain about those kinds of things. It is what it is. It’s a challenge and you’ve got to get past it."
Despite not being able to hold onto a seven-point lead in the second half, the Tigers still had a chance when Hemenway made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 50-all with 4:04 to play. However, Clemson rushed through some late-game possessions and had a key turnover that helped the Irish pull away in the final three minutes.
The Tigers, who played solid defense against one of the better scoring teams in the league, made just nine of their 34 3-point attempts. They shot 20-of-56 overall.
"It’s a brutal league," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said about Simms being out. "How are we going to play them because he’s such a threat? We may have played more zone. I thought our defense down the stretch was very good. He’s a big loss for them. When they have him back, as we’ve seen, they can beat anybody in this building. I hope he’s OK."
Rex Pflueger led the Irish (15-8, 6-6) with 18 points.
It was Clemson's third consecutive loss and dropped the Tigers to 11-12 overall and 5-8 in ACC play.
"We came into the game like we were going to win this game, with or without Aamir," said Trey Jemison, who scored four points and grabbed seven rebounds in place of Simms. It wasn’t enough but we’ll bounce back."
