Clemson rallies in 2nd half to hand Pitt its 1st ACC defeat

Pitt was predicted to finish next-to-last in the 15-team conference in an ACC preseason poll, so Jeff Capel never talked to the Panthers about what was on the line against Clemson.

After back-to-back wins over nationally ranked North Carolina and Virginia, Capel was more concerned with Pitt making the most of the moment than taking sole possession of first place in the ACC.

After rallying from a 10-point deficit in the first half, the Panthers couldn’t stop Chase Hunter. The Clemson sophomore guard scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the second half, including the go-ahead shot with 45.8 seconds left, to rally the Tigers to a 75-74 victory Saturday before a crowd of 10,403 at Petersen Events Center.

“I thought we were tough, we were competitive, we fought. We just came up a little bit short,” Capel said. “It’s really cool to be in a moment like this. Hopefully, we continue to play well where we have more moments like this.”

It was the first ACC loss for Pitt (11-5, 4-1), snapping a five-game winning streak since a 75-74 loss at Vanderbilt on Dec. 7. The Panthers led Clemson (13-3, 5-0) by as many as eight points in the second half before being outscored 16-7 over the final 5 minutes, 21 seconds.

“It just shows that we’re going to fight to the very end,” said Pitt senior guard Jamarius Burton, who led all scorers with 28 points. “The last two instances where we lost, we just didn’t make enough winning plays to pull it out. That’s really the difference.”

Clemson shot 53.8% (14 of 26) from the field in the first half, using its size advantage and Pitt’s frontcourt foul trouble to score 20 points in the paint. The Tigers stretched their lead to double digits when Chase Hunter fed PJ Hall for a reverse layup and a 27-17 advantage with 7:15 remaining in the first half.

Pitt responded by outscoring Clemson, 19-6, over the next 5:33. Nelly Cummings hit an 18-footer to cut it to 33-31, then made a stepback shot in the left corner to tie the score at 33-33. With both Blake Hinson and Federiko Federiko in foul trouble, the Panthers got a boost from Guillermo Diaz Graham, whose free throw gave them a 34-33 lead.

Burton drove left to stretch it to 36-33, but Clemson rallied to tie the score at 38-38 on RJ Godfrey’s tip with 7.4 seconds left. Greg Elliott pushed the ball upcourt, finding Nate Santos for a jumper at the buzzer to give Pitt a 40-38 halftime lead.

Burton was 9 of 16 from the field and made 7 of 8 free throws. He scored 14 points in each half, making three 3-pointers and scoring on an array of driving layups.

“We couldn’t guard him either half,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “He’s just a really good player. He’s big, strong, a physical driver. He’s a willing passer. He’s experienced. As a fifth-year guy, he’s seen it all. He’s not going to waver. He’s made huge plays in their games this week, against Virginia and Carolina. He’s just uber-talented, competitive and older. He’s really good.”

Clemson regained the lead, 53-52, on a 3-pointer by Hunter Tyson (15 points, 19 rebounds) but the Pete erupted when Diaz Graham hit a 3 to give the Panthers a 57-55 lead at 11:37. Elliott later broke a tie score with a 3 from the top of the key for a 62-59 lead.

With both Federiko and Diaz Graham on the bench with four personal fouls, Pitt opted for a smaller lineup where the 6-foot-7 Hinson was their tallest frontcourt player.

Clemson closed the gap to 69-67 on Hunter’s stepback jumper at 3:13, tied it when Hall fed Chauncey Wiggins in the lane at 2:31 and took a 71-69 lead on Brevin Galloway’s drive to the lane at 1:48.

“We weren’t able to make some shots down the stretch — we got some good looks — and they made some tough ones,” Capel said. “That’s the difference in the game. When you have two good teams and it’s a tight battle, it comes down to who makes more plays – and, unfortunately, they did.”

Burton made an off-balance jumper to tie the score, but Hunter answered with a shot in the lane for a 73-71 Clemson lead. Hunter scored seven points in the final 5:21.

Pitt had a chance to tie in the final minute when Cummings lobbed an alley-oop to the 6-foot-11 Federiko, whose attempt to tip it in sailed past the basket. The Panthers cut a four-point deficit to one on Nike Sibande’s 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining but couldn’t get off a final shot after breaking up a deep inbounds pass.

That forced Pitt to foul, and Hinson drew his fifth personal with 9.3 seconds left. Tyson made both free throws for a 75-71 lead, but Burton found Nike Sibande in the right corner for a 3 to cut the deficit to one point with 1.1 seconds left. Federiko knocked away Clemson’s inbounds pass, but the Panthers couldn’t get a shot off before the buzzer.

“I thought our guys played exceptional down the stretch to find a way to win the game,” Brownell said. “I have a ton of respect for Pitt, Jeff and his staff. He’s doing a phenomenal job here. They’ve got a really good team that plays well together, really hard. They’re hard to guard. We had to play at a very high level to win. Thankfully, I have some older guys, and the older guys played extremely well down the stretch. … We’re really happy and ecstatic to come out of here with a win.”