Clemson Sinks Syracuse, 78-61

Saturday, February 6

Clemson, S.C.

2 PM

Syracuse University

Clemson

2/6/2021 4:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery Highlights Jim Boeheim Press Conference Marek Dolezaj Press Conference

CLEMSON, S.C. - An 18-point, 11-rebound double-double on 7-of-9 shooting from Aamir Simms led Clemson (12-5, 6-5 ACC) to a 78-61 victory against Syracuse (10-6, 4-5 ACC) on Saturday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum.

HOW THE GAME WAS DECIDED
After Syracuse scored the game's opening points, the Tigers outscored the Orange 39-16 over the remainder of the half to lead by 20 at the break, 39-19. The Clemson lead did not fall below 17 points during the remainder of the contest.

Joseph Girard III led the Orange with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. Girard III was joined by Alan Griffin (12 points) and Marek Dolezaj (10 points) with double-digit scoring totals. Quincy Guerrier topped Syracuse on the boards with six rebounds while Kadary Richmond snagged a career-high six steals to go with five boards.

FROM COACH BOEHEIM
"Their defense just overwhelmed us in the first half" said Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. "They got in front of us and we weren't aggressive. We made a couple of steals when they game was close, but we didn't convert. If we make some layups early on and hang in there, it's a 10- or 12-point deficit that you have a chance to overcome."

TIGERS TAKE CONTROL
Buddy Boeheim opened the game with a triple, but Tigers quickly clawed back by scoring the next 10 points and going on a 13-2 scoring run that included nine points from Nick Honor to take a 15-5 lead with 14:20 remaining in the opening stanza.

A free throw from Quincy Guerrier cut the Tiger lead to 19-12. However, a pair of makes from the charity stripe by Olivier-Maxence Prosper sparked an 8-0 scoring run that put Clemson on top, 27-12, with 5:58 to play in the half.

In the closing minutes of the opening frame, the Tigers put together another torrid scoring stretch, tallying 12 points to Syracuse's six over the final five minutes to claim a 39-19 lead at halftime.

CLEMSON CLOSES OUT
The teams scored 14 points apiece in the opening seven minutes of the second stanza before Clemson extended its lead with a 5-0 run to make the score 58-33 with 11:47 to play.

Five unanswered points from Dolezaj trimmed the Tiger lead to 58-38 at the midway point of the second half. The ensuing six minutes saw Tigers edge the Orange, 12-10, to make the score 70-48 with four minutes remaining. The Orange outscored Clemson 13-8 over the final minutes of the contest to make the final score 78-61 in Clemson's favor.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Syracuse forced 20 Tiger turnovers.
The Orange outscored Clemson in points off turnovers, 12-8.
The Syracuse defense recorded 13 steals to Clemson's four.
Kadary Richmond snatched a career-best six steals. His previous personal standard (5) was set at Rutgers and at home against Miami.
Marek Dolezaj's first field goal of the game was the 300^th of his career.

UP NEXT

The Orange travel to Raleigh to take on NC State. Tip off from PNC Arena is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ACC Network. The teams are meeting for the second time in 10 days after Syracuse defeated the Wolfpack in the Carrier Dome, 76-73.

Gallery: (2-6-2021) Syracuse at Clemson

Syracuse University Athletics remains committed to doing everything it can to support and protect the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, our staff and the campus and Syracuse communities. All decisions will be science-based and informed by public health and guidance as provided by county, state and public health officials.

If fans are permitted to attend games – in some capacity – Syracuse Athletics will announce plans for spectators to secure admission to the events. Fans will be required to sit in their socially-distanced seat locations and wear a face covering.

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow us on Twitter (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (cuse_mbb) and like us on Facebook (SyracuseOrange).