From start to finish, Clemson not only controlled but dominated Saturday night's matchup with Richmond in Greenville, downing the Spiders 85-57 at the Greenville Winter Invitational.
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It marked just the first meeting between the two programs since 1952 and the Tigers' return to Bon Secours Wellness Arena for the first time in six years. Clemson took up residence in the venue during the 2015-2016 season due to a $63.5 million renovation project to Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson (9-3, 1-0), which came into Saturday's contest a mere 2-point favorite, never trailed and offered up its most complete game of the season.
The Tigers were led by Chase Hunter, who scored 18 points. Hunter Tyson and Brevin Galloway also reached double figures in scoring, adding 16 and 10 points respectively.
Clemson surged to a 13-1 lead, highlighted by three baskets from long range, two of which belonged to Hunter who was 7-of-12 from the field.
A Tyler Burton layup and a Jason Roche basket from long range quickly put the Spiders within seven, but from there the Tigers went on another run, carrying a 23-6 lead with nearly 10 minutes to go before halftime.
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The highlight of the first half for Richmond came with a Burton dunk on Tyson with two minutes left before intermission. Tyson responded on the next possession with a three-pointer and was sure to let Burton know about it on the way back up the court. Burton, who led the Spiders with a game-high 21 points, was a preseason first-team All-Atlantic 10 selection.
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Clemson held a commanding 43-19 lead at intermission and wasted no time expanding its advantage in the second period after breaking open a 53-22 lead just under four minutes in after P.J. Hall drilled a basket from long range. The two teams remained roughly 30 points apart the rest of the way.
The Spiders (5-6), who had lost four of their five games by three points or less coming in, shot 41.2% from the field and hit 7-of-22 (31.8%) baskets from long range.
Clemson shot 48.5% and connected on 12-of-26 (46.2%) from three-point range. The Tigers entered Saturday night's game first in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 3-point percentage (39.6%).
Tyson joined Hall in grabbing eight rebounds. Galloway went over the 1,000-point mark for his career. Tiger true freshman (F) R.J. Godfrey scored five points in 13 minutes of work.
Clemson is now 69-39 all-time in the city of Greenville.
A trip to Atlanta (Ga.) to face Georgia Tech (7-4, 0-1) on December 21 is on deck for the Tigers who will close out 2022 with N.C. State (9-3, 0-2) in Littlejohn Coliseum on December 30.
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