An 18-1 run in the first half and a season-high 25 points from P.J. Hall highlighted Clemson’s 79-66 win over Georgia Tech Wednesday night at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.
The win assured Clemson (10-3, 2-0) will get out of December with at least 10 wins for the first time in five years. It also gave the Tigers their first 2-0 start in Atlantic Coast Conference play in five seasons.
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Hall's 25 point-effort also was a game-high. Hall added 10 rebounds.
Loganville (Ga.) native Ian Schieffelin scored the game's first basket, but it was Georgia Tech (7-5, 0-2) that quickly moved out to a 14-10 advantage. From there, the Tigers would go on an impressive 18-1. For much of that run, Tech went nearly 10 minutes without a basket.
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One of two notable plays in the Tigers’ run was a quick, left-handed kiss off the glass by Chase Hunter with 12 minutes remaining until halftime. Less than three minutes later, true freshman forward R.J. Godfrey, a Suwanee (Ga.) native, showed off his athleticism in a block of a Deivon Smith jumper while quickly moving back down the court to post a layup. Godfrey would receive 11 minutes of work.
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Clemson would carry a 40-26 lead into halftime. The Yellow Jackets would lead just 6:01, all in the opening minutes of the first half.
Godfrey's layup with just under six minutes remaining would give Clemson a 70-47 advantage, its largest lead of the game. Two Dillon Hunter free throw conversions with 15 seconds left would cap all scoring for the Tigers. Hunter, an Atlanta native, would log 23 minutes, a season-high.
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Tech was led by Miles Kelly's 17 points. Jalon Moore and Kyle Sturdivant would add 12 and 14 points respectively. The Yellow Jackets were just 43.1-percent from the field and 5-of-23 (21.7%) from three-point range.
Clemson, which entered the contest ranked 15th nationally and first in league play in three-point percentage (40.2%), hit on just 5-of-18 (27.8%) baskets from long range, but shot 50% from the field. The Tigers also were near flawless from the foul line, converting 12 of 13 free throw attempts.
Hunter Tyson turned in a game-high 13 rebounds, adding 14 points. Brevin Galloway and (Chase) Hunter also added 14 points apiece.
Clemson head coach Brad Brownell is now 19-8 all-time against Georgia Tech.
The Tigers will close the 2022 calendar year by hosting N.C. State (10-3, 0-2) on December 30. The game is set for a 4 p.m. ET tip and will be televised by the ACC Network.
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