Clemson's run in Charlotte comes to an end with 73-61 loss to No. 1 Duke
Both teams were short-handed. One team was short-handed and dead-legged.
Three games in three days is difficult.
Playing No. 1 Duke and its smothering defense on the third day is something close to impossible.
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When Clemson wins two games in the ACC Tournament, that qualifies as a joy ride. The ride ended Friday night in a 73-61 loss to a Blue Devils team that’s the top seed in the tournament, the top-ranked team in the nation, the top-ranked team in the NET, and still quite hard to top even when missing Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster.
The Blue Devils took total control in the final seven minutes of the first half and were up 19 at halftime. Clemson got no closer than 12 until the final minute when it was a 10-point margin, and it seemed Duke always had an answer whenever things got somewhat interesting.
The Blue Devils hit 9 3-pointers on 24 attempts and every one of them seemed to come at crucial junctures, much like Clemson’s did against North Carolina when it played without post player Carter Welling.
Duke (31-2) advances to play second-seeded Virginia in the championship. Clemson (24-9) goes home and starts preparing for its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Cameron Boozer authored a masterful all-around 24-point game that included 3-of-4 on 3-pointers, 14 rebounds, five assists and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. His twin brother Cayden added 16 points, and Nikol Khamenia scored 14 while hitting three 3-pointers on four attempts.
RJ Godfrey led Clemson with 18 points. Jestin Porter (12) and Ace Buckner (11) were the only other Tigers in double figures. Duke had a 41-27 rebounding advantage.
Defense has won a lot of games for Clemson under Brad Brownell, but Duke’s defense is what kept the fifth-seeded Tigers from advancing to the ACC Tournament championship for the third time ever.
Space was easier to come by a night earlier against North Carolina as 3-point shots and successful penetration by guards facilitated high-percentage shots.
Those windows closed quickly against the Blue Devils’ speed, length and physicality. Clemson didn’t crack 40 points until 10 minutes were left in the game. It wasn’t much different from when these teams met in the regular season and Duke won 67-54 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Even after going up 18 on the Tar Heels and holding on for a one-point win, Brownell knew he’d need his team’s best against Duke.
And when he got his first look at his players Friday morning at the team hotel, he was concerned because they looked groggy. Those fears materialized as Duke, which didn’t have to play Wednesday night, looked like the more energetic and spry team even given the two prominent absences and a one point-victory over Florida State in the quarterfinals.
This one was tight for the first 12 minutes. Godfrey made a layup on a fast break to make it 19-18 in Duke’s favor, and the Tigers were seemingly right where they needed to be.
And that’s when everything changed.
In a fashion reminiscent of the way Clemson’s set defense began to lock down North Carolina late in the first half Thursday, Duke totally stifled the Tigers for the rest of the half.
Clemson didn’t make another field goal after Godfrey’s layup at the 7:44 mark. All told it was a 20-4 run that put Clemson in a 41-22 halftime hole, punctuated with a 3-pointer by Khamenia from the top with nine seconds left.
The Blue Devils shot 50 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from 3 (5-of-11) in the first half. The Tigers shot 22.2 percent from the field (6-of-27) and 15.4 percent from 3 (2-of-13) before intermission.
And there simply weren’t many open looks to come by for Brownell’s team, which was missing Welling after he suffered a torn ACL in Wednesday’s night’s victory over Wake Forest. Clemson missed him near the rim, as Duke was able to extend possessions with nine offensive rebounds (six in the second half).
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Ngongba and Foster are Duke’s third- and fourth-leading scorers at 10.7 and 8.5 points per game, respectively. Ngongba pulled down 5.7 rebounds per game and had 68 free-throw attempts in conference play. Foster shot 43.3 percent on 3-pointers (55 of 127) against and had a 52-18 assist-to-turnover ratio against ACC teams.
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Clemson shot 42.9 percent from the field in the second half while going 5-of-12 from long range, but it wasn’t enough.
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