After getting out to a slow start during Monday’s exhibition game against Georgia Southwestern State, Clemson’s men’s basketball was able to piece things together as the first half went on.

After a dominant second half, the Tigers cruised past the Hurricanes, 77-51.

While Clemson wasn’t able to get much going offensively in the game’s first period, the Tigers were dominant on the defensive end. In the first half, Georgia Southwestern State had 26 points on 10-of-31 shooting from the field and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc.

As for Clemson, P.J. Hall accounted for 21 of the team’s 36 points first-half points. Clemson’s offense clearly ran through the sophomore forward out of Spartanburg (S.C), as he finished Monday’s contest with 23 points in 19 minutes.

“P.J. was outstanding in the first half and we made a concerted effort to get him the ball,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said postgame.

“It was awesome,” Hall added postgame. “The guys on the floor really got open shots for me…they were giving me wide-open shots.”

A few months ago, Hall sprained his knee and sported a brace during Monday’s game. He said it didn’t affect his play and in fact, he’ll likely not have to wear the brace by the time the regular season rolls around.

Prior to the season, Clemson coach Brad Brownell indicated that Hall would replace former Tiger Aamir Simms in the team’s starting lineup. While Monday was just an exhibition game, Hall was certainly able to show what he can do on the offensive end.

To start things off in the second half, Hall picked up where he left off. Though, it would be the only points he scored in the second period of play.

Coming out of the gate, Clemson went on a 15-1 run in the first six minutes of the second half to jump out to a 52-27 lead. At one point, Clemson’s biggest lead was at 31 when the team jumped out to a 73-42 after USF transfer David Collins knocked down an open look with just under four minutes to play.

Collins had nine points on 3-of-5 shooting, adding four rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes.

“He’s a good, solid player…he’s been very solid, consistent in his play and I thought he had a nice game today,” Brownell said of the grad transfer guard.

Brownell added that he expects Collins’ game to develop game to game. He doesn’t think the team has a true go-to guy, which he said is a cause for concern as a coach, but indicated that Collins could be a player they turn to in those situations.

Another newcomer who impressed with his play was Ian Schieffelin. He was second on the team in scoring with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. He knocked down an open 3-pointer with 14:46 remaining in the game. On Clemson’s next offensive possession, the true freshman had an open look from the top of the key. Schieffelin missed the shot but was able to grab his own rebound and hit a running floater.

According to Hall, Schieffelin has a lot of poise for a true freshman.

Hunter Tyson didn’t contribute much from an offensive standpoint and while the senior forward only had four points, he accounted for seven of the team’s 46 rebounds. Clemson outrebounded the Hurricanes, 46-34. The Tigers had a total of 32 defensive rebounds on the night.

Junior guards Al-Amir Dawes had eight points, while fellow junior Nick Honor added seven assists. Dawes did have four turnovers, which Brownell was not pleased with.

In Clemson’s final warmup before the start of the regular season, the only gripe Brownell had with his team was that veterans were turning the ball over. The Tigers had 17 turnovers Monday night, though the Hurricanes turned it over 20 times.

Clemson’s regular season tips off on Monday, Nov. 8 against Presbyterian College at the Littlejohn Coliseum.

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