Hall’s big double-double leads Clemson to another runaway win
By: Staff Report December 21, 2022

PJ Hall had his best performance of the season against Georgia Tech.

Added to a second straight strong defensive showing, and it equaled another runaway victory for Clemson’s men’s basketball team.

Hall notched season-highs with 25 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Tigers stay unbeaten in ACC play with a 79-66 win Wednesday at McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech. Clemson (10-3, 2-0 ACC) also held the Yellow Jackets (7-5, 0-2) to 43.1% shooting in a game it led by as many as 23 points.

Hunter Tyson also had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds while Braden Galloway added 14 points and five assists for the Tigers, who shot 50% from the field. Clemson, which was coming off a 28-point win over Richmond over the weekend, also finished plus-12 on the boards in holding its opponent to less than 44% shooting overall and less than 32% from 3-point range for the second straight game.

Chase Hunter also scored in double figures with 14 points, but the Tigers ran things offensively through Hall, who helped Clemson outscore Tech 48-34 in the paint on a night when the Tigers made just five 3-pointers. Hall surpassed the 20-point mark for the fourth time in six games, making 12 of his 18 shots from the field in 28 minutes to surpass his previous season-high of 22 points.

Clemson led 40-26 at the break after ending the first half on a 30-12 run that was spurred by more stingy defense. The Tigers forced nine straight missed shots at one point by Tech, which went 9 minutes, 52 seconds without a basket until Deivon Smith’s dunk ended the drought with 4:44 left.

The Tigers already had a 14-point lead at that point — tied for their largest of the first half — by working the ball inside to Hall against Tech’s aggressive, extended defense. Clemson got the ball inside to its junior big man for 10 shots in the opening half. Hall made seven of them en route to 14 first-half points.

Clemson, which played without junior guard Alex Hemenway (foot), will have nine days off before going for a third straight win Dec. 30 when the Tigers return to Littlejohn Coliseum against NC State.