Hurricanes Fall to No. 22 Clemson 69-59, Reneau Held to 11 Points

Carter Welling poured in 18 points Friday night, leading No. 22 Clemson to a 69-59 victory over Miami that extended the Tigers’ winning streak to nine games and dealt another blow to the Hurricanes’ ACC hopes.

The story of the night was Clemson’s suffocating defense on Miami’s leading scorer. Malik Reneau, who entered the game averaging 20.4 points per contest, managed just 11 points as the Tigers’ pressure defense disrupted Miami’s offensive rhythm throughout the evening.

“We knew we had to make it tough on Reneau,” said Clemson head coach Brad Brownell after the victory. “Our guys did a great job of making every shot difficult for him.”

Clemson’s defensive intensity showed up in the steal column, where the Tigers recorded a season-high 11 takeaways. Those turnovers translated into easy scoring opportunities that helped build a lead Miami couldn’t overcome despite several second-half runs.

Welling led a balanced Clemson attack that saw multiple players contribute in double figures. The Tigers shot efficiently from the field while forcing Miami into contested shots for much of the night.

For Miami, the loss continues a frustrating pattern in conference play. The Hurricanes have struggled to find consistent offensive production beyond Reneau, and Friday’s game highlighted that challenge when their leading scorer faced constant double teams and physical defense.

“We’ve got to find ways to get other guys involved when teams focus on Malik like that,” said Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga. “Credit to Clemson – they executed their game plan really well.”

The Hurricanes kept pace early, but Clemson’s defensive pressure began wearing down Miami’s ball handlers in the second half. The Tigers forced several crucial turnovers during a midgame run that established separation on the scoreboard.

Miami’s sports program has faced challenges this season finding the consistent offensive production needed to compete with ranked ACC opponents. The loss drops the Hurricanes further behind in the conference standings with limited opportunities remaining to build NCAA tournament momentum.

Clemson’s nine-game winning streak represents the program’s longest since the 2017-18 season. The Tigers have found their identity on the defensive end, holding opponents to under 65 points per game during this hot stretch.

The victory keeps Clemson firmly in the mix for an NCAA tournament at-large bid while positioning the Tigers well for the final stretch of conference play. Their defensive intensity has become a calling card, with Friday’s performance against Reneau serving as perhaps their most impressive individual shutdown job of the season.

Miami will need to regroup quickly as the ACC schedule offers no breaks for struggling teams. The Hurricanes must find ways to generate offense when opponents key on their leading scorer, a challenge that has plagued them in several conference losses.

For local basketball fans looking to catch more college hoops action, the result continues a challenging season for Miami’s program as they search for answers in conference play.