Tigers clutch down the stretch to take win in Tallahassee

Hunter Tyson hit his first four 3-pointers and scored a Clemson-best 27 points in the win (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by TigerNet Staff - Sat Jan 28 19:33:32 GMT-04:00 2023

No. 23/24 Clemson men's basketball started and finished clutch to grab its fourth ACC road win in five games this season and a first in Tallahassee in the last eight tries, 82-81.

Returning from injury for the first time in four games (foot), Chase Hunter drove up the court and was fouled on a game-tying layup and sunk the go-ahead free throw attempt with 4.5 seconds to go.

Hunter finished with 26 points, while Hunter Tyson scored 27 and PJ Hall contributed 17 (with 10 rebounds for the double-double).

"Chase Hunter makes a heck of a play," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "Guys executed a heck of a full-court play that we've had in for a while. I'm really happy for Chase. That was a big-time drive. Speed, athleticism, skill, strength -- play through contact. I didn't know he would have this much juice today. Thursday at practice, I thought he was just OK, Friday he started looking better. I could tell he had a little glimmer in his eye at breakfast. That part got me excited and man he was fantastic. Unbelievable...

"He and PJ and Hunter made big plays throughout. That was a heck of a win."

Clemson maintained its 1.5-game ACC lead on Virginia with the result and secured the school's first 10-win conference start through 11 games (18-4, 10-1 ACC).

Clemson bettered a 15-2 run to begin Tuesday’s 72-51 win over Georgia Tech with a 16-2 start in Tallahassee, where Tyson hit his first four 3-pointers in the stretch.

After a 1-of-9 start shooting, FSU (7-15, 5-7) went on a 10-0 run and five of its first six field goals were from beyond the arc to trail by three with just nine minutes left in the first half.

Clemson did not a hit a field goal for the final six minutes going into the break, and the Seminoles took their first lead with just under a minute left, 34-33. Tyson scored 17 points over all 20 minutes of the half, while Hall was held to two points after leading Clemson in scoring each of the previous four games.

Clemson’s shooting woes continued in the second session with misses on the first five shots to continue the FG drought to 9 1/2 minutes total.

The Tigers fought back, however, trailing by as much as seven points but putting together a run back to lead with buckets from Hall, Tyson and Hunter.

A second-chance score, first saved from going out of bounds, and then put in with a foul on the dunk by Cameron Corhen propelled FSU back on top with under 12 minutes to go, but Tyson was there again to answer the bell with a trey for a Tigers’ lead.

Clemson stretched a lead out to seven with 10 minutes to go, but the Seminoles took back the lead with a 9-0 run capped by a Matthew Cleveland 3-pointer.

The Tigers kept things close by earning free throws on the offensive end, coming in leading the ACC in free throw percentage (.796), and it was a two-point game going into the final five minutes.

Hunter tied things up at 71 with a layup at the 2:37 mark, which FSU's Caleb Mills answered with a 3-pointer, a 13th of the game. Hunter then went 1-for-2 at the free throw line to make it a 2-point game again with a minute to go.

Hunter attempted a go-ahead shot a possession later but the Tigers' Hall was fouled on the rebound attempt. Hall hit 1-of-2 to keep it a 1-point FSU edge and the Tigers sent Mills to the line with 25 seconds left. Mills hit both, however, to keep the pressure on the first-place Tigers.

Freshman Chauncey Wiggins missed a 3-point attempt on the next possession and Ian Schieffelin chased down the offensive rebound to give the Tigers another chance out of a timeout with 10.5 seconds left. Hall was fouled after an FSU timeout to bring it back to a 1-point game. After getting fouled, FSU's Corhen made just 1-of-2 on his tries before giving Clemson the ball back with 8.5 seconds to go, and Hunter drove it down the court and was fouled -- hitting the go-ahead attempt with 4.5 seconds left. The Seminoles didn't get a shot off on their final possession.

While Hunter returned, fellow starters Alex Hemenway and Brevin Galloway were out for the game.

Clemson stays on the road to Boston College for a 7 p.m. Tuesday tip (ACCN).

.@h_tyson5 hits his FOURTH three-pointer of the first half #ClemsonGRIT pic.twitter.com/dxgdDPeeHL
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) January 28, 2023