CLEMSON -- The 2023-24 season started strong for Clemson Monday night as the Tigers blew out Winthrop 78-56.
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With the win, the Tigers (1-0) have continued their winning ways in season openers, taking 38 out of their last 39. Brad Brownell also moved to 13-1 in season openers as the Tigers' head coach.
PJ Hall, who was second in scoring in the ACC last year with 17.6 PPG, led the way for the Tigers with 20 points on 8-15 shooting, including five rebounds.
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Clemson came out of the gate struggling to shoot the ball, hitting just 29-percent from the field. The Tiger defense, however, held the Eagles scoreless through the first four minutes of action.
The Eagles and Tigers went a combined 8-25 through the first nine minutes, but an Ian Schiefflelin three gave Clemson a 15-6 lead with under ten minutes to go.
The Eagles, led by Kase Harrison's 13 points, kept the Tiger lead under single digits throughout the first half.
Winthrop hit four of its final seven shots to end the half, but three-pointers from Syracuse transfer Joe Girard and Chase Hunter gave the Tigers a 33-24 advantage heading into intermission.
From then on, it was all Clemson.
Hall led the way for the Tigers in the second half, recording seven of the first nine points scored by both teams. Hall's 13 points included a three-pointer and two points from the free-throw line.
With 15:10 left in the second half, N.C. State transfer Jack Clark recorded his first points as Tiger to give Clemson a 49-31 lead.
Winthrop's K.J. Doucet hit a three-pointer with 13:19 left to cut the Tiger lead to 13. The Eagles did not get any closer the rest of the way. Winthrop was 5 of 18 from beyond the arc.
RJ Godfrey's eight points off the bench kept Clemson's lead comfortable for the remainder of the contest. The sophomore hit a three-pointer with 9:02 left in the half to extend the Tigers' lead back to 18. Godfrey's 12 points led all scorers off the bench.
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Schieffelin capped off the night with a three-pointer with 47 seconds left to give the Tigers a 75-54 lead. Schieffelin tallied 16 points on the night, shooting 5-8 from the field, including two three-pointers.
The Tigers finished the night shooting 43.5% from the field, converting 13-32 (40.6%) from long range.
The Eagles shot 18-52 (34.6%) from the floor while converting 15 of 18 from the foul line.
With the win, Brownell moves to 2-1 versus Winthrop.
On Friday, the Tigers will travel to Asheville, North Carolina, to face UAB in the 2023 Asheville Championship at 9:30 p.m. The game will air on ESPN+.
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