Clemson destroys NC State for third time, advances in ACC tourney

Clemson had already beaten NC State by double digits at Littlejohn Coliseum and in Raleigh earlier this season.

The Tigers did it one more time this year Thursday night in the ACC tournament.

Clemson pounded the Wolfpack 80-54 in Greensboro Thursday night to advance to the semifinals of the ACC tourney.

The Tigers trailed 20-11 early on but absolutely dominated from that point forward, outscoring the Wolfpack 69-34 the rest of the way.

With the win, Clemson improves to 23-9 on the year. The Tigers also took a big step towards earning an NCAA tournament berth with the victory.

“We’re playing pretty good basketball right now and we have most of the year… really proud of these guys,” Tigers coach Brad Brownell said. “You need more than your starters [to play well], and I thought we got that tonight. I’m really pleased with our group. Excited for tomorrow.”

The Tigers had seven players finish with at least eight points, led by PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin, who each had 15.

Schieffelin has now scored at least 15 points in back-to-back games after reaching that mark only once the first 30 games of the year.

“I think we’re just a motivated team right now. I think we see all the stuff, and I think right now we’re just worried about the ACC Tournament, and I think we’ll just take it one game at a time,” Schieffelin said. “We feel like we should be a March Madness team, and I think us saying that just brings more energy, more motivation for our team.”

Clemson has now beat NC State by 14, 25 and 26 points in three games this season.

The Tigers have nine wins by double digits against ACC teams on the year.

“A lot of great teams in this league, and we did a really good job in league play. Like Coach said, we had a bad day here and there, but overall we’ve had a great season,.” senior forward Hunter Tyson said. “We have a resume to show for it. But we’re not done.”

Point guard Chase Hunter finished with 11 points and 9 assists, while his brother Dillon Hunter had 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal off the bench.

Dillon Hunter gave Clemson big minutes with Alex Hemenway out and knocked down only his second 3-pointer of the season in the victory.

“He was great. He gave us a shot in the arm, Dillon did, just energy and some toughness, and I thought he really fought over the ball screens and competed,” Brownell said. “It’s kind of fun to watch those guys, too, the brothers out there together. It’s fun. I think they feed off each other. Dillon has done this in some games this year for us, but he was instrumental in turning the tide for us.”