Miami Faces 65-55 Setback in ACC Opener

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team faced a 65-55 setback to the Clemson Tigers (9-1, 1-0 ACC) Saturday afternoon at the Watsco Center in the Hurricanes’ (3-6, 0-1 ACC) ACC opener.

Freshman Jalil Bethea led the Hurricanes on offense with 12 points, while graduate student Lynn Kidd and senior Brandon Johnson paced Miami on the boards at eight rebounds each.

The Hurricanes started the game 0-for-10 from the field, while the Tigers shot 67 percent (4-of-6) from 3-point range in the first eight minutes to take an early 12-1 lead.

Senior Matthew Cleveland provided a spark for Miami off the bench, scoring nine points in the first half to facilitate a 12-2 Hurricanes’ run that tied the game at 20 with five minutes to play in the half.

Miami connected on eight of its last 10 shots in the frame to trail by just one, 25-24, at the halftime break.

The Hurricanes and the Tigers traded buckets to start the second half, exchanging the lead three times in the first two minutes. The final 20 minutes ultimately featured four lead changes and four ties.

Bethea and redshirt junior AJ Staton-McCray anchored the Miami offense in the second half, scoring 12 and nine points, respectively, after halftime.

However, Clemson’s Viktor Lakhin knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Tigers ahead 47-43 at the 6:55 mark in the second half.

Bethea connected on a pair of crucial threes down the stretch, but the Tigers held on to the lead thanks to some late-game free throws and came away with the 65-55 victory.

The Hurricanes head to New York on Tuesday to take on the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers at Madison Square Garden as part of the Jimmy V Men’s Classic. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN.