CLEMSON -- No. 18 Clemson had to wait six days to get back into the win column. Against Queens NC, the Tigers' offense wasted no time to secure their 10th win of the year.
PJ Hall and Joseph Girard combined for 36 of Clemson's 69 first-half points as the Tigers (10-1, 1-0) demolished the Royals (6-8) 109-79 Friday night in Littlejohn Coliseum. It was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
BECOME A SUBSCRIBER AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.com!
Hall led the way offensively, recording 27 points, finding success from outside, and dominating inside the paint.
ALSO SEE: Friday Evening Insider Notes | Now what? | Friday Clemson Recruiting Insider | The waiting game for Clemson and the ACC | Clemson & Transfers | The Clemson Recruiting Process | Clemson's junior verbal commitments
With 10:52 left in the first half, the Tigers led the Royals 25-14, ready to assert themselves on their home floor.
Hall made sure the floodgates would soon open.
He intercepted a Royal pass and connected on the other end with a fast break dunk. On the ensuing possession, he forced a block by the basket and found RJ Godfrey across the court for another easy basket.
Hall added four blocks on the night. He wasn't alone in enjoying first half success.
Girard added 16 points of his own in the first 20 minutes, picking apart the Royal defense from behind the arc. He converted three of his five shots from deep while forcing contact outside for three shots at the foul line.
NCAA & CLEMSON TRANSFER PORTAL DATABASE & TRACKER
After a quiet offensive outing in Memphis, Girard reached double figures in scoring, finishing with 19 overall. He has recorded 10 or more points in eight of his last nine games.
Much like Girard returned to form against the Royals, issues that plagued Clemson in Memphis flipped back home.
Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone message board!
Against the Tigers, Clemson struggled to provide scoring off the bench and coughed up 15 turnovers.
On Friday, those issues became a quick afterthought.
Against Memphis, Clemson only managed five points past the starting five. Behind Godfrey, the Tigers tripled that total in the first half alone against Queens.
Godfrey set a new career high with 19 points, providing a boost offensively inside. He also converted three of his four shots from the foul line.
Clemson also improved its ball security after giving up 15 turnovers against Memphis, recording only one within the first half. They finished with seven for the entire night.
Chase Hunter added nine points, shooting 4-10 from the field.
The Tigers led by as much as 36, scoring over 100 points for the first time in 2023. The last time Clemson scored over 100 was against Penn State on November 29th, 2022, with 101 in double overtime.
Clemson shot 63.2-percent on the night, drilling 10-of-19 (52.6%) shots from long range, while converting 13-of-17 (76.5%) at the foul line.
Ian Schieffelin scored just four points but posted a game-high six rebounds. Chauncey Wiggins, who scored 13 points, tied Schieffelin with six rebounds.
Queens shot just 37.8% from the floor and converted 14-of-42 (33.3%) three-point attempts while hitting 9-of-13 (69.2%) at the line.
Clemson moved to 12-0 all-time against members from the Atlantic Sun Conference.
The Tigers will wait one week for their next matchup, hosting Radford in Littlejohn Coliseum on December 29th. The game is set for a 7:00 p.m. tip and will air on the ACC Network.
BIG DECEMBER DEALS on officially-licensed Clemson apparel and gear at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
