Round of 32 Bound: Tigers dismantle Lobos behind Chase Hunter star effort

Clemson advanced on to the second round of the NCAAs with an emphatic win.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Mar 22 17:31:08 GMT-05:00 2024

MEMPHIS – The Round of 32 awaits.

Chase Hunter scored 21 points and the Tigers scored 38 points in the paint as No. 6-seed Clemson defeated No. 11-seed New Mexico 77-56 at the FedExForum Friday afternoon to advance to the Round of 32.

Clemson will play No. 3 Baylor on Sunday at the FedExForum (time to be announced). The Bears defeated No. 14 Colgate 92-67 in the first game of the day. Clemson improves to 22-11, while New Mexico’s season ends at 26-10.

Ian Schieffelin scored 16 and grabbed 12 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. PJ Hall added 14.

"Really proud of our players. I just thought we played at a very high level, super competitive spirit, togetherness, toughness," head coach Brad Brownell said. "New Mexico comes in playing extremely well. Richard's done an unbelievable job with their team. And we were ready. And I'm just happy that our guys were able to get past our last performance. Certainly we're excited to be here, be a part of this great tournament. And looking forward to another big match-up on Sunday, I guess."

Brownell credited Hunter with rebounding from his poor play against Boston College in last week's ACC Tournament.

"He wanted to play very well, and he was heartbroken, disappointed. Obviously he just told you, he felt like he let a lot of people down," Brownell said. "That's why I'm so proud of our guys. We have great kids. They're -- not just for their performance but they let their team down, they let the university down, he said. How many kids say that? Right? How many kids are thinking about other people like that? High character kid. I'm happy for him. And not surprised at all that he bounced back and played the way he did."

The game was played with a fast pace early, and the Tigers jumped out to a quick 11-7 lead. Joseph Nelly hit a jumper in the paint to bring the Lobos to within two at 11-9, but the Tigers went on a 7-0 run, sparked by a 3-pointer by Hall, to take an 18-9 lead at the 14:05 mark.

Donovan Dent scored on a turnaround jumper in the lane to make it 18-11, but Hall hit two free throws, RJ Godfrey backed down in the lane for a shot, and Girard hit a 3-point to make it 25-11. Hall then scored on a hook in close, and Girard hit another from long range to give Clemson a 30-11 lead at the 9:51 mark.

The Lobos applied full-court defensive pressure and began to chip away at the lead, and when Jaelen House hit a 3-pointer from the left wing, New Mexico was back within ten at 38-28 with just under 90 seconds to play. However, Jack Clark hit a layup on the fast break and Chase Hunter hit two free throws with 34 seconds remaining and the Tigers took a 42-28 lead into the break.

The Tigers started the second half with five quick points – Hunter hit a pullup jumper and Schieffelin hit a 3-pointer – for a quick 47-28 lead. The Lobos once again turned up the defensive pressure, and the Tigers started to get into foul trouble. By the 15-minute mark, both Hall and Schieffelin had three fouls, and it wasn’t long before Godfrey picked up his third.

The Lobos went on the offensive, and House converted a driving layup at the 13:29 mark, which brought New Mexico back to within 13 at 51-38. Brownell called a timeout with momentum starting to switch to the Lobos. Chauncey Wiggins delivered Clemson’s answer with a 3-pointer from the corner that put the Tigers back in front 54-38, and while a couple of Clemson’s starters remained on the bench, Hunter kept the Tigers in front.

Hunter scored on an underhand layup with two defenders in his face, and then scored on a physical drive to the basket for a score. He was fouled on the play and hit the foul shot to give Clemson a 59-40 lead.

The Lobos were never able to mount much of a threat after that, and when Hunter hit a jumper at the top of the key with just two minutes remaining, it gave the Tigers a 75-52 lead. A minute later, Brownell was able to empty the bench.

"I would say we had the momentum the whole game. It was just about us staying calm, staying poised," Hunter said. "And for me I just wanted to make plays for my teammates. Obviously I made some plays for myself. Like I said, I wanted to make plays for my teammates. We made some big plays down the stretch. We kept the lead big and we didn't let them come back. That was big for us this game."

The game time for Clemson and Baylor will be announced later today.

.@ClemsonMBB with the win! 🏀

Coach Brad Brownell and Guard Chase Hunter join @JonRothstein for a post-game chat. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1g9FntQDMV
— March Madness Men’s Basketball TV (@MM_MBB_TV) March 22, 2024