The start could not have been worse for Clemson, but the finish was just fine. The Tigers fell behind Davidson 23-5 over the first 11 minutes of their Sunday afternoon game for the 2023 Asheville Championship, but they pulled to within five by halftime and went on to a 68-65 victory to improve to 3-0 on the young season.
After shooting 32% in the first half with six turnovers, the Tigers shot nearly 59% in the second half, and made 8-16 from three. PJ Hall, Joe Girard and Alex Hemenway, who had eight points between them in the first twenty minutes, combined for 35 of the Tigers’ 45 second half points.
Clemson finally took their first lead at 38-36 on a Hemenway three-pointer with 15:09 to play. The Tigers eventually took the lead to nine points, but Davidson pulled to within one with 1:14 left.
After an exchange of layups, Clemson led by one with 0:44 left. Hall bagged a pair of free throws with 0:21 remaining, and the Wildcats missed three attempts at three pointers to tie the game in the final seconds.
Hall and Girard led Clemson with 17 points each. Hall also had seven points and four assists. Girard hit five three-pointers and also had five assists.
The Tigers are off until next Sunday when they will play Boise State at Littlejohn Coliseum
