CLEMSON -- After a 60-58 loss to South Carolina on a buzzer-beating jumper last Friday, Clemson bounced back Tuesday night with an 81-70 win over USC Upstate in Littlejohn Coliseum.
It marked just the second time the two teams have played with the first meeting coming in the 2015-2016 season where the Tigers won 76-56.
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Chase Hunter led the Tigers with 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from long range. Hunter Tyson posted a game-high 12 rebounds and added eight points.
Two Hunter baskets pushed Clemson out in front 7-2 early.
The Spartans trailed 11-9 just over six minutes in after a Jordyn Surratt three-pointer.
From there Clemson went on a 13-2 run, sparked by baskets from Alex Hemenway and P.J. Hall, who received work in his second consecutive game but did not start. Hall, who logged 21 minutes, led the Tigers off the bench in scoring and rebounds against the Gamecocks in Columbia.
Down 24-11 with 7:27 remaining in the first half, USC Upstate's Justin Bailey drilled a three-pointer. Later, a couple of free throw conversions from Jordan Gainey pulled the Spartans to within six with 23 seconds left before the break. The Tuscon (AZ) native had a game-high 15 points at halftime. Gainey closed with a game-high 24. Hunter then converted a basket from long range with three seconds left to give the Tigers a 41-32 advantage at intermission.
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In the second half, Clemson enjoyed its largest lead of the game, up 69-50, with 9:20 remaining after a Hunter jumper from long range.
USC Upstate then went on a 6-0 run after baskets from Gainey, Bailey and sophomore forward Trae Broadnax. Broadnax, who added 16 points, would go on to score four of the Spartans' last six points. A layup by Gainey with 31 seconds left would cap all scoring, leaving Clemson with an 81-70 victory.
Hemenway (18 points), Brevin Galloway (15) and Hall (13) joined Hunter in reaching double figures in scoring for the Tigers. Galloway, a Boston College transfer, has reached double figures in scoring in each of the Tigers' first three games this season.
Clemson shot 56.4-percent from the floor and hit 8-of-21 (38.1%) baskets from long range, while the Spartans were 52.2% from the field, 6-of-15 (40%) from three-point range.
Tuesday was Brad Brownell's 54th birthday.
Clemson returns to the court Friday evening (Nov. 18) to host Bellarmine from the ASUN Conference. The game is set for a 7 p.m. ET tip and will be televised by ACCNX - ESPN3.com.
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