Clemson Outmuscles No. 24 Duke

Tigers stay unbeaten in ACC play with win over the Blue Devils

Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY Sports

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson got 26 points from PJ Hall, while Brevin Galloway came alive in the second half to score 17 points as the Tigers knocked off No. 24 Duke, 72-64, Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The win allowed Clemson to continue its record start in ACC play at 7-0 and marked its 11th straight regular season win in league play, and has their current odds of winning the ACC at +450, according to Fanduel. It was the Tigers’ seventh consecutive win and their 10th in the last 11 games.

The win was also Brad Brownell’s 400th as a head coach.

With Miami losing to NC State earlier in the day, the Tigers extended their lead in the ACC standings to two games over the Hurricanes.

Kyle Filipowski led the Blue Devils with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Tyrese Proctor added 17 points in a losing effort. However, they shot just 3-of-20 from three-point range and 38 percent overall.

The Tigers (15-3, 7-0 ACC) were not much better, they made just 3-of-17 shots from behind the arc. However, they did connect on 46 percent of their shots from the field.

Trailing by three points, Clemson used a 7-0 run with 5:48 to go to grab a 58-54 lead. Hall hit a jump hook from the foul line, while Galloway followed with a three-pointer and a driving layup to complete the run.

Galloway scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half.

Duke (13-5, 4-3 ACC) built an eight-point lead, 44-36, with 14:47 to play, but the Tigers used an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to take a brief 47-46 lead. Ben Middlebrooks completed a three-point play with 11:43 to go to give the Tigers the one-point advantage.

Hall scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half, keeping the Tigers close.

Duke used a 15-2 run during a 3:45 stretch late in the opening half to take a 30-22 lead with 2:44 to play. The Blue Devils led 34-30 at the break.

Jon Rothstein currently has the Tigers in the NCAA Tournament as the automatic qualifier on The Duel.

Stat of the game: Duke and Clemson combined to make just 6-of-37 shots from behind the three-point line.

Injury update: Guard Alex Hemenway missed his sixth straight game due to injury.

Player of the Game: Hall scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed four rebounds. He was 10-of-16 from the field and 5-of-7 from the foul line.

Key Moment: With the Tigers up four points late in the game, Galloway drove the lane, drew a foul and made the layup with 1:57 to play. He then completed the three-point play by making the free throw, giving the Tigers a 63-57 advantage.

Up next: Clemson will play at Wake Forest on Tuesday night. Tip is set for 9 p.m.

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