It has been a while since Clemson’s defense showed up the way it did Saturday, but it’s not like it hasn’t happened before.

The Tigers bounced back in a big way with their runaway victory over Richmond, washing the bitter taste of a blowout loss to Loyola Chicago a week earlier from its collective mouth in the process. Clemson (9-3, 1-0 ACC) shot nearly 50% from the field to score 85 points, but an equally important reason for the Tigers’ rout was the kind of defensive effort Clemson has been waiting to come back around.

The Tigers had allowed 75 points or more in three of their previous five games, including back-to-back contests. Before the 18-point loss to Loyola last weekend, Clemson needed 80 points to survive Towson in a five-point home victory.

But the Tigers didn’t do nearly as much sweating against Richmond. Their defense closed out the non-conference portion of the schedule in style by holding the Spiders to 41% shooting, including just a 31% clip from 3-point range, in a game Clemson led by as many as 35 points.

Now the Tigers are looking for consistency with it as they enter the heart of their ACC slate beginning Wednesday with a trip to Georgia Tech.

“I think it’s just our mentality,” senior forward Hunter Tyson said. “One thing we’ve really focused on is being disruptive, so I think we need to have that mentality every game. And makes sure every team feels us. Not just let them run whatever they want to do and hope they miss.”

It’s the fourth time this season the Tigers have held a team to less than 60 points, but Clemson has yet to do it in back-to-back games. The first three times the Tigers kept an opponent below the 60-point mark, they yielded at least 74 in the next game.

Point guard Chase Hunter said it’s on the starting five to set the tone for the rest of the team defensively.

“If we come in and be aggressive, then the bench, they get some energy. Then that will help us to be more focused out there,” Hunter said. “For us, I think it’s just starting off the game with that intensity and the bench can follow.”

Head coach Brad Brownell said the Tigers’ depth could help if Clemson can establish more of it going forward. The Tigers continued to build on a 43-19 halftime lead Saturday, allowing Brownell to empty the bench. But even some of the freshmen Brownell would like to make a bigger part of the rotation anyway made the most of their minutes on the defensive end.

Dillon Hunter had two of Clemson’s nine steals in 11 minutes. Josh Beadle notched a steal in his nine minutes while forward RJ Godfrey had a block and a steal in 13 minutes. In all, the Tigers forced 15 turnovers that led to 19 of their points.

“That’s why it’s important that our bench guys give us a good eight, 10 or 12 minutes so that these (starters) can get a break, come back in fresh and stay in attack mode,” Brownell said.

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