Clemson Takes on Syracuse with Dillon Hunter Emerging as Key Contributor
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Riding high off a thrilling overtime victory against Pittsburgh, the Clemson Tigers (15-4, 7-1 ACC) return to Littlejohn Coliseum on Wednesday night to take on Syracuse (9-9, 3-4 ACC).
Clemson, currently third in the ACC standings, enters the game with momentum after a gutsy 78-75 win over the Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. The Tigers were propelled by a clutch three-pointer from sixth-year guard Chase Hunter with 14 seconds remaining in overtime, extending their lead to 78-73 and sealing their seventh conference win.
The Atlanta, Ga native led Clemson with 20 points and made 5 of 9 three-pointers in the victory. Power forward Ian Schieffelin delivered a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds), while point guard Jaeden Zackery added 16 points. Junior guard Dillon Hunter, Chase's younger brother, also made a major impact, finishing with 10 points, three steals, and season-highs in assists (6) and minutes played (33).
Hunter has been a steady contributor for Clemson this season, averaging 5.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, while boasting an impressive 0.4 turnovers per game in over 21 minutes per contest.
"He's always had a great assist-to-turnover ratio his whole career," Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said following the win over Pitt.
Hunter has just eight turnovers all season and averages only 0.5 per game over 87 career games while playing at least 15 minutes per contest. Additionally, he is currently first in Clemson history in career assist/turnover ratio at 2.48/1 with 109 assists and only 44 turnovers.
"It's always been something I've liked about him," Brownell added. "He doesn't put the ball in jeopardy very much. Today he had six assists, maybe no turnovers. A tremendous line."
While Hunter’s primary strengths lie in his ball security and defensive intensity, his offensive game is evolving. After shooting 25% from three-point range last season, he's improved to 29% this year and made two of his three attempts in the win over Pittsburgh.
"He made a couple of threes. Obviously, he's been working on that [three-point shooting]. He shot the ball here last night really well," Brownell noted.
Hunter also knocked down a critical three-pointer with the Tigers up 49-48 and 4:40 remaining in the 65-55 win at Miami earlier this season, proving he can deliver in high-pressure moments.
His season bests in points (15), assists (6), rebounds (6), and steals (6) are career-highs as well. The 6 steals against Stanford is the single game-high for a Tiger this year.
More than just a stat-sheet stuffer, Hunter brings intangibles that have become invaluable to the Tigers.
"I just talked about it. He's got great spirit," Brownell said. "He's just—he's an energy giver. And certainly, he provides that off the bench. Just a guy with great confidence, talk, and energy for our team."
Hunter and his teammates will look to continue their strong play and keep Clemson among the conference's best at 7:00 PM EST on the ACC Network.
