HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

No. 1 Syracuse 57, Clemson 44: C.J. Fair scored 19 points and pulled down seven rebounds as the host Orange tied the school record for consecutive victories with a win over the Tigers.

Syracuse (23-0, 10-0 ACC) matched the 1916-17 and 1917-18 squads with its 23rd straight triumph, thanks in large part to Fair (8-of-13 from the field) and Jerami Grant, who added 12 points and eight boards. The Orange's starting backcourt of Tyler Ennis and Trevor Cooney combined for just 17 points on 7-of-21 shooting.

K.J. McDaniels kept the Tigers (15-7, 6-4) close with team highs of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Jaron Blossomgame and Jordan Roper added seven points apiece for Clemson, which had won five of its previous seven games.

The key sequence in the contest came in the last four minutes of the first half, as Syracuse scored the final nine points of the period to take a 31-22 lead into the break. Cooney began the surge with a 3-pointer and Grant tacked on a pair of layups before Fair's late basket sent the Orange into the locker room with all the momentum.

Clemson stayed relatively close in the second half, closing with 42-37 before Syracuse scored the next six points to restore a double-digit advantage. With under three minutes left, Ennis made a layup and Cooney knocked down a 3-pointer to end any potential drama down the stretch.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Syracuse, which typically only uses seven or eight players, lost C Baye-Moussa Keita to a sprained knee in the first half. The senior big man did not return. ... The Orange only committed five turnovers while forcing 13 turnovers by the Tigers. ... The teams combined to shoot 9-of-28 from 3-point range.