CLEMSON – Al-Amir Dawes set the season’s record of 21 points, dropping five points from 3, and Clemson defeated Pittsburgh 77-62 on Saturday to end the regular season.
The Tigers (16-6, 10-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) moved away early in the second half when Nick Honor drained a 3-point basket to start a 9-0 run, expanding Clemson’s 43-41 lead. to 52-41 in 97 seconds.
Another 3-point score from Hunter Tyson put Clemson at 57-46
at the 12:14 mark, and the rest of the distance remained in double digits. Clemson hit 12 points out of 3 out of 25 attempts on Saturday and was 56% throwing from the ground (29 out of 52).
After Dawes, Tyson scored 16 points and Aamir Simms 12 with five assists.
Justin Champagnie led Pitt (10-11, 6-10) with 13 points, scoring 10 in the last 9:31 of the match. He had played 1 in 7 before making consecutive baskets that brought the Panthers 60-54.
Champagnie scored 10 of Pitt’s 14 final points. He added two steals and a blocked shot before submitting with 38 seconds remaining.
Pitt finished 20 by 45 shots (44 percent) and was surpassed by 32-18 in the painting and 11-5 in the counterattack. Ithiel Horton added 11 points.
Clemson hit five of his first seven shots, including 3 points from Simms, Clyde Trapp and Honor to lead 13-7 after four minutes, and never lost.
The home final at the Littlejohn Coliseum was an expulsion for veterans Simms, Trapp and Jonathan Baehre with some of the highlights, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance at the NCAA Tournament and breaking a 0-for59 streak at Chapel Hill.
Both teams await qualification in the ACC tournament, from March 9 to 13.
Kentucky 92, South Carolina 64
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Davion Mintz and Brandon Boston Jr. set career records with six points each and Kentucky beat South Carolina at the end of the regular season.
Mintz finished with 20 points and seven assists, with five of his 3s in the first five minutes of the second half, including three in a row to propel the Wildcats (9-15, 8-9 of the Southeast Conference) to a 19 point advantage, 55 – 36. Boston scored 21 points. Olivier Sarr added 15 points and Isaiah Jackson 13 points with 10 rebounds in his second double-double in his career.
Kentucky, which ended its first SEC losing record since 1989, will open the conference tournament on Thursday. It is the first time that Kentucky has not had a double goodbye since the tournament was expanded in 2013. The Wildcats would need an incredible run at the NCAA conference and tournaments to avoid their first overall loss record since 3-13 in 1926- 27.
Kentucky overcame the Gamecocks 16-6 in the final nine minutes of the first half, with Sarr scoring six points during the race. Boston had a trio of 3 points and 12 points at halftime and Sarr 11. Kentucky scored nine points on the turn and did not give up on his way to a 36-28 lead at halftime.
The 28-point win was the Wildcats’ biggest margin of victory since the 36-point win over Morehead State at the start of the season.
Keyshawn Bryant scored 16 points and Jayyn McCreary 14 points for the Gamecocks (6-14, 4-12), who haven’t won at the Rupp Arena since 2009. Gunner AJ Lawson (18.1 ppg), scored six points on 2 of – 10 shooting. The third best scorer, Jermaine Cousinard, missed the game due to a rib injury sustained during practice.
This game was scheduled to be the SEC’s opening for both teams on December 29, but was postponed because of the problems with COVID-19 in South Carolina.