Louisville holds off Clemson late, punches ticket to championship game

Clemson's late-game charge came up short.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Saturday, March 15 2025

CHARLOTTE – Clemson’s run in Charlotte has come to a close.

Not without some late game drama. Louisville led by 11 with two minutes to go, with the Tiger faithful likely gearing up for Sunday night to learn of its matchup in the big dance.

A late surge from the offense cut the lead to two, but Chase Hunter's final shot attempts couldn't complete the comeback, falling to Louisville, 76-73.

The Cardinals will face Duke in the ACC Championship on Saturday night, winning the rematch in Charlotte.

The first half on a late Friday night played out a script similar to the SMU duel, with a bruising battle inside Spectrum Center.

One key difference between the victory over SMU and the first clash with Louisville was the presence of Viktor Lakhin.

In round one against the Cardinals, he was limited to seven points in 23 minutes of action, struggling to win the fight inside. Lakhin’s challenge against SMU was staying on the floor, which wasn’t an issue on the floor in the first half.

He led the team in scoring with 11 in the first 20 minutes, proving to be one of Clemson’s more reliable options when he is available. Lakhin finished with 14 points, and was one of three Clemson starters to log double figures.

In the January victory over the Tigers, J’Vonne Hadley set a career high of 32 points, putting together a dominant display over their conference foe.

While Hadley was limited to only five in the first half, his counterpart on the court, Terrence Edwards Jr., was able to pick up the slack. He led all scorers through the first 20 minutes with 13 points, becoming Louisville’s top option.

The duo’s momentum continued out of the locker room, with Hadley reaching double figures in the early frames of the second half.

Where the Cardinals began to find offensive rhythm, the Tigers’ shots couldn’t find the inside of the net. Clemson entered the evening on a shooting slump from beyond the arc, which certainly continued against the Cardinals. The offense only drained five of its 16 attempts from deep, continuing a tough March that hasn't held much three-point success.

That struggle stretched for over six minutes without a basket, magnifying the tough outing on the floor in the second half.

Amid a month that's been labeled as an offensive struggle, Lakhin knows what this team is capable of, adding that trust will be important entering March Madness.

"Just keep trusting each other," Lakhin said. "Work for a better shot and not settle for a mediocre one. We are a good team; everyone knows it, and the ball will fall."

Ian Schieffelin joined Lakhin to form most of the Tigers’ offense on Friday night, doing all they could by the glass to create a comeback. Schieffelin quickly reached double figures off the glass, collecting a double-double in postseason play. He totaled 14 points and a team high 12 rebounds.

The Tigers cut it to as little as two points with seconds left to go, but those comeback efforts didn't have enough time to materialize fully. Hunter and Chauncey Wiggins' three point makes were enough to close the gap to one possession, but the Tigers simply ran out of seconds.

Hunter opted not to stir the pot in his postgame interview regarding the no-call on his final shots, adding he just wanted to make a play for his team.

“No comment on what happened with the refs," Hunter said. "It’s not up to me with the calls or anything like that. I just tried to make a play to help the team.”

Louisville led by as much as 15 in the semifinal victory.

With projections as high as a 4-seed going into Friday, Clemson will learn of its NCAA Tournament first-round matchup in March Madness on Selection Sunday, which will begin at 6:00 p.m. on CBS.

GAME NOTES: Chase Hunter has now played 4,541 minutes, extending his program record and moving him into 15th in ACC history, passing Matt Harpring (Georgia Tech, 1995-98, 4,506) and Travis Best (Georgia Tech 1992-95, 4,504) … Chase Hunter hit the 200th three-pointer of his career becoming the seventh Clemson player to reach the mark and first since Andre Young in 2012… Hunter moved into fifth in Clemson history in career scoring (1,743), passing Trevor Booker (1,725) Jaron Blossomgame (1,733) during the game… Per STATS Perform, Chase Hunter has now played in 166 games coached by Brad Brownell, tied for the ninth-most games by a player-coach duo in NCAA history and third among active duos … Ian Schieffelin had 14 points and 12 rebounds, his 16th game in double-figure rebounds this season and his 12th double-double of the season… Jaeden Zackery had five steals, giving him 69 for the season, tying him with James Mays (2006-07) for fourth-most in a single season in school history.