Clemson shook off its poor showing at Louisville and took their frustrations out on Syracuse, 91-73, at Littlejohn Coliseum, Wednesday. Hunter Tyson led the attack, knocking down 6 of 12 from the behind the 3-point line on his way to 29 points and 10 rebounds.
The Tigers attacked Jim Boeheim’s acclaimed 2-3 zone in the first half by freeing up Tyson and Chase Hunter for clean looks from the perimeter. Hunter (13 points, 11 assists) handled everything Syracuse threw at him, ably operating the point against both the zone and full-court pressure.
Once Clemson’s shooters got rolling, P.J. Hall went to work from the high post. Hall’s skillset proved to be the perfect antidote for Syracuse’s zone, showcasing his ability to drive, pass and knock down the midrange jumper. Hall (16 points) was highly efficient, making 8 of his 11 shots while dishing out three assists. Ian Schieffelin (10 points) also reached double figures as the Tigers (20-8, 12-5) outscored the Orange 38-26 in the paint.
After dropping four of five heading into Wednesday’s game, head coach Brad Brownell acknowledged his team needs to finish strong and likely win its next two road games to assure itself a spot in the NCAA Tournament, “We need ’em, absolutely, we know that. I don’t think I need to tell my team that.”
The first of those two crucial road games is at NC State, Saturday. Tipoff between the Tigers and the Wolfpack is set for noon.
Final Stats
Clemson postgame press conference
Head coach Brad Brownell
Hunter Tyson and Chase Hunter
