Littlejohn Coliseum: Clemson got back on the winning track Saturday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum with a 89-78 win over Boston College. It’s the Tigers first win of the New Year as they snapped a three-game losing streak. The final score is not indicative of how Clemson dominated the second half. BC closed with a 12-4 run over the final for minutes after Clemson built a 19-point lead.
The Tigers took a one-point lead with 14:31 left in the first half and never trailed from there. The scored the last five points of the half for a 44-35 lead at the break. They came out of the locker room with a 15-7 run to build a 57-42 lead with 14:53 to play. The Tigers made five of their first seven shots in the second half, four of them layups and a three-pointer by Joseph Girard. They shot 69% in the second half.
The Tigers continued their good offense as they built the lead to 19 points at 72-53. Over the first eleven and a half minutes of the second half, the Tigers were 12 of 15 from the floor with all but two of the baskets coming off layups. The Tigers scored 30 points off layups and 44 points in the paint for the game as they took advantage of the absence of the Eagles’ standout 7-0 center Quinten Post who was one of three BC players to miss the game with a stomach illness.
Girard and PJ Hall each scored 26 points to lead the Tigers. It’s the second time this season the pair have scored over 20 points in the same game. Hall also gathered in 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season and tenth of his career. The Tigers had 10 offensive rebounds they converted to 15 second chance points, and they made 18-22 from the line.
Clemson is now 12-4 overall and 2-3 in the ACC. They will host Georgia Tech Tuesday night for a 9:00 PM tip.