Clemson Men’s Basketball: Tigers blow game open in 2nd half, cruise to win

Clemson Men’s Basketball overcame a cold start by playing suffocating defense early before blowing the game open early in the second half on their way to a 78-56 win over an outmatched, but game, Winthrop Eagle squad.

The first media timeout at 14:44 of the first half found Clemson up only 7-4, as the Tigers continued to fire three-point shots early, eschewing their size advantage early.

The Tigers took a 33-24 lead into the half, with Ian Schieffelin leading the Tigers with 9 points and 4 rebounds, while P.J. Hall chipped in 7 points and 4 rebounds despite sitting out several minutes when he picked up his second foul with 5:39 remaining.

Almost half of Clemson’s shots from the field were three-point attempts (14 of 30) and the Tigers connected on 36.7% of all shots, including 35.7 (5 of 14) from three, while committing 8 turnovers in the first stanza.

Clemson also outrebounded Winthrop 20-13 in the first half.

The second half started with Hall scoring 7 quick points and putting the game out of reach for all intents and purposes.

From that point forward the game situation and score dictated the Tigers substitute liberally and 11 players saw the court for Brad Brownell’s team before the night was over.

Clemson ended the game shooting 43.5% on 62 shots from the field, 32 of which were of the three-point variety and the Tigers finished shooting 40.6% from deep, with Alex Hemenway leading the way at 3 for 4.

The Tigers placed four players in double-figures including 20 from Hall Halls 20, 16 from Schieffelin, 12 from R.J. Godfrey and 10 from Chase Hunter.

Clemson held Winthrop to 35% from the field, including 28% from three-point range, while forcing 14 Eagle turnovers.

Joe Girard, the Syracuse transfer, led the Tigers with 4 assists and 10 of the Tigers 11 players that saw action had at least 1 assist.

One negative on the night was both Hall and Schieffelin picking up their third fouls within 1:43 of each other about 7 minutes into the second half.  Hall’s foul, in particular, seemed unnecessary and the Tigers lead immediately shrank from 49-31 to 49-37 with Hall out of the game.

That was a minor blip though, as the Tigers offense averaged 1.2 points per possession and scored on 50.8% of possessions and the defense held Winthrop to .862 points per possession and allowed 0 fast break points.

Clemson Men’s Basketball transfers all played well

All three transfers that saw playing time acquitted themselves well on the evening.  Girard finished with only 3 points on 1 of 5 shooting in 26 minutes on the court, but he’s a savvy veteran who can score (1,655 career points at Syracuse) and dish the ball as his 4 assists attest.

Jack Clark (N.C. State)  hit 2 of 4 three-point shots to finish with 6 points in 15 minutes, while also contributing 4 rebounds and showing impressive passing ability.

Bas Leyte didn’t score or take a shot in 14 minutes, but proved a capable backup for Hall,  recording 3 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists.

Next up for the Tigers (1-0) is a matchup with UAB in Asheville, North Carolina on Friday, November 10 as part of the 2023 Asheville Championship.