CLEMSON – After being clawed by the talons of North Dakota three-pointers for the better part of 20 minutes, Clemson swatted away Hawk defenders with 32 second half points in the paint to claim a 92-77 win at Littlejohn Coliseum Monday night.

Sophomore Chase Thompson had a career-high 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and senior Liutauras Lelevicius scored 16 second half points to escape a Hawks offense that drained 12 three-pointers on 46 percent shooting. Lelevicius also came two points shy of his career-high 23 points.

With the victory, Clemson improved to 3-0 on the young season for the fourth consecutive year under head coach Brad Brownell.

How it Happened

• After making only three three-pointers in their last win over Winthrop, the Hawks came out scorching hot from beyond the arc, opening the game with 5-of-9 shooting from long range. Led by guards Zach Kraft and Carter Evanson, North Dakota drained eight first-half three pointers. Before this game, the Hawks shot just over 12 percent from three-point-range so far this season and had only made five combined triples through two games.
• In the meantime, Clemson turned the ball over six times in the first 12 minutes of play. The Hawks capitalized, scoring 12 points off of turnovers in the first half to the Tigers’ two. North Dakota only turned the ball over once in the first half.
• After trailing by as many as six points, the Tigers answered by knocking down four three pointers in a four-minute span to take a six-point lead late in the first half. Guard Dallas Thomas led the charge with two of the four shots.
• Thomas led the Tigers in the first half with nine points and two rebounds. Chase Thompson added eight points on perfect 2-of-2 shooting from three.
• The Tigers missed four of their eight free throw attempts in the first period and had six fewer points in the paint despite grabbing four more rebounds.
• After the break, Clemson did not attempt any three-pointers in the first five minutes of the second half, though the Tigers did score six points in the paint. Lelevicius went on a five-point run by himself to put Clemson back on top at 42-41.
• Clemson continued to turn the ball over in the second half while the Hawks continued to knock down shots. However, the Tigers started taking over and attacking the rim in the final 15 minutes of play, which led to 18 points in the paint across and an eventual permanent advantage.
• The Tigers went on a 7-0 run thanks to a three-pointer, two free throws and a layup with around six minutes to play, igniting a once-dormant Clemson crowd.
• Though Hawks guard Luke Winkel made two long shots to keep the game close, a final push from Thompson and post player Dylan Faulkner solidified a Clemson victory.
• Faulkner finished with eight assists while Ace Buckner added six and Cole Certa added four. Lelevicius led all Tigers with eight rebounds while three other players had at least five rebounds.
• Clemson finished with nine made three-pointers and North Dakota made 13. The Tigers shot 50 percent from beyond-the-arc while the Hawks made 48 percent of their attempts.

Up Next

The Tigers will host Georgetown at Littlejohn Coliseum this Friday. Tip is set for 6 p.m.