CLEMSON -- Dabo Swinney has long joked about recruiting Ian Schieffelin to the football team, and with Swinney in attendance Wednesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum, Schieffelin put on another strong tryout—on the hardwood.
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The big man dropped a career-high 24 points, reaching 1,000 career points along the way, as No. 13 Clemson rolled past Notre Dame 83-68.
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The win marked Clemson’s 15th ACC victory, the most in program history, with 13 of those victories coming by double digits. It also gave the Tigers 23 regular-season wins, the most under Brad Brownell.
Clemson's win also sealed a double bye in next month's Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Schieffelin exited late to a curtain call just shy of a double-double, finishing 9-of-11 from the field, 2-of-2 from three, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He added three assists and two steals.
The Tigers faced a critical moment out of the under-eight media timeout, leading 62-53 after a 7-0 Notre Dame run sparked by Markus Burton (game-high 30 points). But Clemson shut the door, outscoring the Irish 13-6 and stretching its lead to 18 with 4:54 left.
Burton and Tae Davis did all they could, combining for 45 of Notre Dame’s 68 points. Burton scored 30 on 8-of-19 shooting, getting to the line 13 times and hitting 12. Davis added 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting with two triples.
Jake Heidbreder was a spark off the bench for Clemson, knocking down four threes and finishing with 14 points, his second-highest total this season.
That’s what makes this Tigers team so dangerous — there are so many different players who can come off the bench and provide a spark; tonight it was Heidbreders turn.
Viktor Lakhin continued his strong form, scoring in double digits for the eighth time in 11 games. Though he went just 1-of-6 from three, he adjusted by attacking the midrange and mixing in some cheeky free throw line floaters to finish with 18 points, five assists, five rebounds and two blocks in 27 minutes.
Jaden Zackery added 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting with two assists, playing his usual key role defensively to slow Notre Dame’s attack.
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Chase Hunter finished with eight points on 2-of-6 shooting but contributed five assists and two rebounds in 23 minutes.
Dillon Hunter, making his fifth straight start, had three points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal. Clemson has won all five games since inserting him into the lineup, starting with the upset over Duke earlier this month.
The Tigers shot 47.6-percent (30-of-63) from the floor, 39.1% (9-of-23) from three, and 77.8% (14-of-18) from the free throw line.
Notre Dame hit 44.9% (22-of-49) from the floor, 31.3% (5-of-16) from deep, and 90.5% (19-of-21) from the line.
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Brownell improved to 4-9 against Notre Dame.
Clemson hits the road for the second-to-last time this season on Saturday, heading to Charlottesville to face Virginia at noon on ESPN2.
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