The Orange were outclassed in their 86-72 loss at Clemson. There was some good mixed in with the bad, though.

Here is what to take away from the defeat:

Syracuse simply could not slow down Clemson for any appreciable stretch of action. The Tigers had a 2-of-10 shooting span that closed the first half and opened the second, but shot 64.4 percent from the field otherwise. Part of that 2-for-10 streak came when Adrian Autry went to the 2-3 zone, but it was only effective because Clemson missed their first four 3-point attempts, all of which were open.

The Tigers finished the game scoring 1.410 points per possession, their most efficient offensive effort of the season. It was also SU’s second-worst defensive outing of the year (at Tennessee).

J.J. Starling had his mid-range game going from the opening tip. Starling made his first five shots on the night and finished the opening half 7-of-9 from the field, including hitting 3-of-4 3-pointers for 17 points. The junior simply could not keep up that blistering pace all night, but did finish with 25 points.

Syracuse shot 53.8 percent from the floor, their second-best mark of the season behind their 63.5 percent mark against Albany in December. Their 11 3-pointers were a season high and came on 21 attempts, marking the seventh time in eight games that the team hoisted at least 20 shots from long range in a game.

That perimeter shooting lifted SU over 30 percent from long range over the season for the first time. The team, which is shooting 30.9 percent from 3 on the season, is shooting 34.6 percent from beyond the arc in the last nine games.

The Orange gave the ball away nine times in the opening half and Clemson took full advantage, converting those turnovers into 14 points. Five of those miscues came during the Tigers’ 28-10 finishing kick of the half.

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