Story by Justin Mathis
LITTLEJOHN COLISEUM: After a rough start on both ends of the floor, Clemson found its groove on the offensive end in the second half and pulled away for a 77-57 victory over Wake Forest in its ACC opener, Friday.
The Tigers struggled to find the bottom of the net in the first half, making only nine of 23 shot attempts, including 1-for-10 from behind the arc. During the halftime break, Clemson flipped a switch and started to see things click.
Clemson used an 11-1 run to pull even with the Demon Deacons at 39 just over four minutes into the second half. One minute later, Brevin Galloway hit the go-ahead triple with 14:30 to play, giving the Tigers a 42-39 advantage. A personal 6-0 run by Alex Hemenway, who drilled consecutive three-pointers, pushed the Clemson advantage to 62-51 with 5:19 left.
The Tigers closed out the contest with a 10-0 run, making their last six shot attempts, while forcing the Demon Deacons to miss 11 of their last 13 shots from the field. Five Tigers finished in double figures, led by P.J. Hall (Dorman) with a game-high 21 points, followed by Hunter Tyson (15), Galloway (14), Hemenway (12), and Chase Hunter (11). Clemson outscored Wake 51-24 in the second half and remain unbeaten in six home games this season.
Clemson (7-2, 1-0 ACC) will close out their three-game homestand with a non-conference tilt against Towson at 9 p.m., Wednesday.
Final Stats
Clemson postgame press conference
Head coach Brad Brownell
Guard Alex Hemenway and Forward P.J. Hall
