Second halves haven’t treated Clemson well in January, but the Tigers broke that curse to take down Florida State 78-67 in the Tucker Center. This was about as close to a must-win as you can get in January, and Brad Brownell’s team stepped up to defeat one of the hottest squads in the ACC.

The first ten minutes were a rush of scoring, and it appeared like Clemson was going to get dragged into another track meet. Adjustments arose and the Tigers got back to a winning formula on both ends. Following a 30-point gridlock at halftime, offensive flurry in the second half led to a comfortable win.

Clemson shot a dominant 61 percent from the field in the second half, adding a 11-14 clip from the free throw line. That was heightened by rebounding excellence, a 14-board advantage on the road. Rushing out to a seven-point lead after halftime, that was the gap necessary to never look back.

Three-pointers on both ends were the other blunder for this team in the recent losing spell, but the Tigers went 7-17 from behind the arc while allowing just four makes. It’s a simple proposition but harder to execute, and Clemson finally did so when it was necessary.

Chase Hunter led the way with 14 points, but it was a total performance as eight players scored at least five points alongside 28 from the bench. That included forward Jack Clark, his first points in over a month coming in a seven-point outing. Josh Beadle added big moments in a nine-point second half, silencing any comeback hopes from the Seminoles.

This could be a momentum-builder, and the Tigers go on a week-long break before taking on No. 7 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium Jan. 27. That will be the strongest challenge to this point in the season, and that matchup tips off at 4 p.m. on ESPN.