VIDEO: Andy Enfield discusses 79-69 loss to No. 18 Clemson

[PonyPride]

VIDEO: SMU men's basketball head coach Andy Enfield met the media after the Mustangs fell, 70-69, to No. 18 Clemson.



From SMUMustangs.com:

SMU falls to No. 18 Clemson

DALLAS (AP) -- Jaeden Zackery had 19 points, including a career-best five 3-pointers before halftime, plus six rebounds, seven assists and five steals to help No. 18 Clemson beat SMU 79-69 Saturday.

Chase Hunter added 17 points and Viktor Lakhin had 16 for the Tigers (22-5, 14-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who are tied for second with Louisville and one-game behind Duke.

Chuck Harris scored 16 points, and Matt Cross and B.J. Edwards had 12 each for the Mustangs (20-7, 11-5).

Clemson ended the first half on a 7-2 run after SMU took its only lead of the game at 30-29, then scored the first nine points of the second half. The Tigers' largest lead was 18 points.

The Tigers tied a program record for conference wins set two years ago. They can match or surpass their highest poll position this season, which was No. 16 in mid-December.

Boopie Miller, who leads the team averaging 13.4 points and 5.7 assists per game, missed his third consecutive game with a bruised left foot. A win could have vaulted the Mustangs into the Top 25 for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Zackery's mid-range miss at the 24-second buzzer early in the second half was rebounded by Lakhin. That led to Hunter's 3-pointer amid the 9-0 run opening the second half. Clemson, 61st in Division I averaging nine 3-pointers per game, matched that total with 6:17 left in the half. The Tigers hit 14, matching their season high, on 29 shots.

Clemson will host Notre Dame on Wednesday, when SMU visits California.

[Charleston Pony]

Was flying back from west coast yesterday so missed this game but once again it's all about shooting threes and Clemson appears to have just been knocking them down all day. Doesn't help that we were apparently sloppy with the ball and had 16 turnovers. Hopefully our guys can finish strong and be playing well coming into the ACC Tourney but it will be tough with a west coast road trip and also having to go to Florida to round out the regular season

[PonyPride]

Yes, the ball control was shaky — SMU ended up even on assists-to-turnovers, but was on the wrong side of that ratio throughout the game — but the three-point shooting ended the game early for all intents and purposes. Zackery hit his first five, and at one point, Clemson was 8/10 from long range. Teams that shoot like that can beat anyone, especially a shorthanded SMU team.

Miller was out with his injury, and Tibet Görener was out sick, so Chuck Harris and B.J. Edwards had to play almost the entire game (35 and 37 minutes, respectively), and they played hard, but the lack of backcourt depth was significant.

[Charleston Pony]

We've been fortunate this year to have enough depth that nobody has had to play even 35 minutes a game. Really need everyone back for this west coast trip and will need significant contributions from the guys Enfield recruited from west coast teams. Like coach said...we know all the best places to stay and eat, so hopefully that helps!