MEMPHIS -- Chase Hunter had 20 points and six assists, and No. 6 seed Clemson held off third-seeded Baylor for a 72-64 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.
The Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in Coach Brad Brownell's 14 seasons. They also made it in 2018, when they lost to Kansas in the third round.
"This was a big win for us," Brownell said. "Baylor's obviously a very talented, well-coached team. So for us to play the way we did, I thought our defense was outstanding throughout. And that was a big key in both of our wins here in Memphis."
Joseph Girard III scored 13 points for the Tigers (23-11), and Ian Schieffelin and PJ Hall each had 11.
Next up for Clemson is No. 2 seed in Arizona in the West Region semifinals in Los Angeles. The Wildcats advanced with a 78-68 victory over Dayton on Saturday.
RayJ Dennis led Baylor with 27 points, including 21 in the second half. Ja'Kobe Walter added 20 points, but the Bears (24-11) lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year.
Baylor went 16 for 26 at the foul line, compared to 20 for 24 for Clemson.
The Tigers controlled the game through the first half and most of the second. They opened a 61-46 lead on Schieffelin's wild layup with 6:41 left.
Schieffelin flipped the ball over his head, and it somehow went in the basket as he was fouled. But he missed the ensuing free throw.
"I just wanted to get a shot up and try to draw a foul," Schieffelin said. "I was on the ground and looked up, and it went in. If I took that 10 more times, I don't know if I make it. But it went in when it mattered."
Baylor Coach Scott Drew tried to rally his team during a late timeout.
"I said: 'Let's have the best comeback of the NCAA Tournament.' I think they were excited about that," Drew said.
The Bears responded. Walter's three-point play trimmed Clemson's lead to 64-62 with 2:19 to go.
Baylor had a chance to tie the game with 36.2 seconds left, but Walter missed two foul shots. RJ Godfrey then made four free throws and Girard hit two to help Clemson close it out.
The Bears struggled from three-point range after their long-distance shooting played a big role in Friday night's 92-67 victory over Colgate. They went 6 for 24 from deep against the Tigers after going 16 for 30 from three-point range in their opening game in the NCAA Tournament.
Clemson concentrated on taking away the long-range shot and when Baylor took the ball inside, they were met by a scrum of Tigers.
Brownell said the first priority was limiting three-pointers.
"I thought we did as good a job as you can," he said.
Baylor also finished with seven assists and 10 turnovers.
"I think it was just making sure we got big baskets when we needed them," Hunter said of holding off the Bears. "Getting big stops when we needed them. We knew they were a great team. They were going to go on runs."
ALABAMA 72,
GRAND CANYON 61
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Mark Sears had 26 points and 12 rebounds, Mouhamed Dioubate scored all nine of his points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and fourth-seeded Alabama used a late surge to beat No. 12 seed Grand Canyon.
Sears carried the Crimson Tide (23-11) for the better part of 35 minutes before getting some unexpected help from Dioubate. The 6-7 freshman scored more than nine points only twice all season but made the most of his chance to contribute in the final minutes of a physical game with Alabama in foul trouble and without starter Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who suffered a head injury in the first half.
Alabama advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 10th time overall and third time in the last four seasons under Coach Nate Oats. The Crimson Tide will play in a regional semifinal in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1990-91; last year, Alabama was a No. 1 seed and fell to eventual national runner-up San Diego State.
This time, it'll be the Tide trying to take down top-seeded North Carolina on Thursday in a West Region semifinal Los Angeles.
Sears made 8 of 18 shots and cheekily waved goodbye in the final seconds to the Grand Canyon "Havocs" fans who filled Spokane Arena. Dioubate also grabbed five rebounds in his 12 minutes and played solid defense on Grand Canyon star Tyon Grant-Foster.
Grant-Foster scored 29 points, one off his career high, but didn't score in the final 4:40. The Lopes shot 32%, including a brutal 3 of 17 to begin the game. Grand Canyon (31-4) also couldn't find anything from beyond the three-point arc, going 2 of 20. Coach Brice Drew's squad came in averaging seven three-pointers per game.
Alabama led 42-32 early in the second half, only to see the Lopes chip away. Grand Canyon took a 56-55 lead on Collin Moore's free throw with 6:25 left -- its first lead since it was 9-7 -- and Grant-Foster scored off Alabama's 10th turnover of the half for a 58-55 lead with 6:03 left.
The Tide responded with seven consecutive points. Dioubate scored on a three-point play off an offensive rebound and added a slashing basket through traffic. He made two more free throws with 3:48 left to give Alabama a 64-61 lead, and his basket with 2:25 left pushed the lead to five.
Alabama played the final 26-plus minutes without Wrightsell, who took an inadvertent elbow to the head.
Baylor forward Josh Ojianwuna hangs his head after the team's 72-64 loss against Clemson in a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Clemson guard Chase Hunter (1) and Baylor guard RayJ Dennis (10) chase a loose ball during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Clemson guard Chase Hunter, left, and Baylor guard RayJ Dennis (10) chase a loose ball during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)