Clemson Basketball: Tigers outlast Nittany Lions in double OT

The game was won and lost about 7 times on each side Tuesday, as Clemson Men’s Basketball defeated Penn State 101-94 in double overtime in Littlejohn Coliseum in the final installment of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Despite 0 first-half points from Chase Hunter and Hunter Tyson the Tigers were only down by 6 at the break and took control as the second half began.

Tyson dominated in the second half (and overtimes) with 24 points, 4 rebounds and an assist and the Tigers got tremendous contributions from their bench in the win.

The Tigers bench totaled 24 points, led by 8 apiece from Ian Schieffelien and Ben Middlebrooks, along with 4 each from R.J. Godfrey and Josh Beadle.

Clemson led by 7 with 51 seconds to go in regulation, but couldn’t make their free throws down the stretch and Penn State’s Andrew Funk banked in a 3 with 5.2 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

The first overtime was a back-and-forth affair before the Tigers pulled away in the second extra period to move to 6-2 on the season.

It was a big win over a good Penn State team that was ranked 33 in the kenpom.com rankings.

P.J. Hall got the starting nod for the first time this season, but the bigger news is the bench contributions that were non-existent earlier in the season.

Clemson Men’s Basketball defeated Penn State in double OT, despite a tough night from Chase Hunter

The odds of winning this game with a 1-12 shooting performance from the field for Chase Hunter before he fouled out were slim, but Josh Beadle, while inconsistent and questionable at times on defense, stepped up in the clutch.

Tyson, though, was the star of the win, with clutch shot after clutch shot when it mattered most.

As a team, the Tigers shot 50.8% and 52.4% from three-point range, while the Lions ended the game at 40.8% from the field and 30.6% from three.

The Tigers open the ACC season Friday at 7 p.m. in Littlejohn Coliseum by hosting Wake Forest.