Published Nov 4, 2024
Chase Hunter, Foster lead Clemson past Charleston Southern 91-64
Toby Corriston
Tigerillustrated.com

Box score

CLEMSON -- A switch flipped for Chase Hunter last March, and no defense has been able to turn it off since.

Hunter opened Clemson’s season with a massive dunk and closed out the first half by draining three threes—including a buzzer-beater—to finish with 15 points in the half as Clemson cruised past Charleston Southern, 91-64, in its opener Monday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.

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While Hunter led the scoring early, Clemson’s defense was the true catalyst for its 48-24 halftime lead. The Tigers’ relentless rotation forced seven steals and 12 turnovers in the first half alone, with Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery leading the charge.

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Zackery, one half of Clemson’s tenacious backcourt duo with Hunter, finished with six points, three steals, three assists, and two rebounds.

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Illinois State transfer Myles Foster emerged as an enforcer on both ends for the Tigers, going 6-for-8 from the field and hitting two from beyond the arc. He tied Hunter for a team-high 17 points, adding four rebounds and two blocks.

Dillon Hunter kept up the defensive intensity off the bench, using his length to force a steal and a backcourt violation, turning defense into offense early for the Tigers. He added five points, and three assists as well.

Ian Schieffelin kept his usual gritty presence with a couple of massive blocks, nine rebounds, and eight points.

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Chauncey Wiggins finished with 8 points on 3-for-6 shooting, four rebounds, and a steal.

Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin quietly contributed throughout the night. After missing a couple of early post shots, he settled in to finish with 12 points, four rebounds, a block, and a steal.

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Head Coach Brad Brownell’s deep rotation paid off, with nine players logging double-digit minutes and all scoring, keeping fresh legs on the court.

Jake Heidbreder, the last of Clemson’s nine to get on the board, added a spark in the second half with back-to-back threes, extending the lead to 27 with just over 10 minutes to play. He finished 3-for-4 from long range, showing promise as a potential replacement for Joe Girard’s sharpshooting from last season.

The freshman Del Jones logged 13 minutes. While he only scored four points, his energy was a spark the Tigers will look to throughout the season.

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Christian Reeves, Clemson’s 7-foot-2 center, saw limited minutes but made his presence felt late in the second half, throwing down a huge lob from Jones. He wrapped up the evening with just three points

The Tigers, which led for 37:12 minutes, shot 49.2-percent from the field, including an impressive 11-of-21 (52.4%) mark from long range and a 16-of-24 clip (66.7%) from the foul line.

CSU was 20-of-50 (40%) from the floor and converted just 13-of-27 (48.1%) from the foul line.

Clemson will take the court again on Friday, hosting Saint Francis for a 7 p.m. ET tip. The game will be televised by ACCNX.

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