Simms and Honor handle Syracuse zone, Tigers blow out Orange |
The vaunted Syracuse zone is no problem when
Aamir Simms and
Nick Honor are in the zone.
Simms notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Honor was hot from the 3-point line in scoring 15 points as Clemson won for the third time in four games in defeating Syracuse 78-61 at Littlejohn Coliseum Saturday afternoon. Honor was 5-of-8 from 3-point range. The double-double was the second of the season for Simms and the seventh of his career. Simms also scored the 1000th point of his career in the first half. He’s just the fourth Tiger with 1,000 pts, 550 rebounds, 175 assists, 75 steals & 75 blocks. Clemson improves to 12-5 overall and is now 6-5 in the ACC. Syracuse falls to 10-6 overall and is now 4-5 in league play. Clemson was 10-of-23 from 3-point range and 27-of-51 from the field (43 percent). The Tigers out-rebounded the Orange 42-25 and had 34 bench points to just three for Syracuse. "As of late, making shots early has helped our team stay energized defensively," head coach Brad Brownell said. "The first half was one of the best halves of the season for us so far. Our defense was outstanding, and our guys continued to do a good job on defense in the second half. We never let our lead slip to single digits. "Against Syracuse, if you're doing a good job of defending the three, there's a lot of space for their guys to drive, but our guys showed toughness on defense. They also did a good job of rebounding in the zone and getting some extra possession that way." The first half was marked by the 3-point shooting of Honor and offensive slumps by the Orange. Buddy Boeheim opened the scoring with a 3-pointer for the Orange and a 3-0 lead, but the Tigers reeled off 10 consecutive points for a 10-3 lead. Honor nailed two 3-pointers during the run. Honor then made another trey and Jonathan Baehre added a bucket, completing a 15-2 run that saw the Tigers take a 15-5 lead. Quincy Guerrier of Syracuse hit a layup with 4:23 remaining in the half that made it 29-17 Clemson, but the Tigers ran off 10 consecutive points to take a 39-17 lead at intermission. Syracuse made just 3-25 field goals in the first half (12 percent) and was just 1-6 from beyond the arc. Hunter Tyson hit a short jumper just off the key to give the Tigers a 41-19 lead, and both teams then went back-and-forth before PJ Hall’s jumper gave the Tigers their biggest lead of the game at 58-33. The Orange turned up the full-court pressure and eventually trimmed the Tiger advantage to 19 at 60-41 at the 9:04 mark, but Nick Honor hit another 3-pointer that gave the Tigers a 66-43 with 5:51 left on the game clock. Joseph Girard hit a jumper that made it 66-45, but John Newman hit a free throw and Max Prosper hit a layup that it 69-45. Prosper was fouled on the play and hit the free throw for an old-fashioned 3-point play and Clemson once again led by 25 at 70-45 with just over four minutes to play. Clemson has now won three in a row over the Orange in the series. Clemson now leads the all-time series against Syracuse 7-4, including a 5-1 mark in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers now have almost a week off and return to the court next Friday, hosting Georgia Tech at 8 p.m. (ACC Network). Head Coach Brad Brownell’s Postgame Quotes Opening statement: "As of late, making shots early has helped our team stay energized defensively. The first half was one of the best halves of the season for us so far. Our defense was outstanding, and our guys continued to do a good job on defense in the second half. We never let our lead slip to single digits." On the keys to the game: "Against Syracuse, if you're doing a good job of defending the three, there's a lot of space for their guys to drive, but our guys showed toughness on defense. They also did a good job of rebounding in the zone and getting some extra possession that way." On Clyde Trapp: "He's been very solid and played very consistently all year. He's not always a high-level scorer, but he can get baskets around the rim and make the occasional three. We always talk about his ability to pass. He's really versatile and plays multiple positions for us." On Olivier-Maxence Prosper: "He's playing with more confidence. He's really gifted and strong for a young player. He battles down low and fights for baskets. His ability to rebound and finish plays is a bright spot for us." On Clemson's X-factors: "PJ [Hall] played really well today. Al [-Amir Dawes] made a couple of important threes off the bench. Jonathan [Baehre] made some pivotal shots in the first half. John [Newman III] had five assists on the day. This was a really great team win." Because sharing is caring - Trapp's 11 assists today tie for the most in an ACC game this season! ??@ClemsonMBB | #ACCMBB pic.twitter.com/5f90Js50ut Al-Amir Dawes cuts through the defense and finds @olmaxpros8 for the finish! ??@ClemsonMBB | #ACCMBBpic.twitter.com/wXn3sctuss
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