Clemson big men show out on Senior Night to top Syracuse

PJ Hall scored 25, with 21 by halftime, in the big win.

by Brandon Rink - Staff Writer - Tue Mar 05 21:12:04 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON - PJ Hall’s first Senior Night shot went in on Tuesday.

And shortly after raising his arms to get the Littlejohn Coliseum crowd loud, the Upstate native’s second did, too.

Then the third went in. Then the fourth. Then the fifth…and so did seven of his first eight, as Clemson took a commanding lead early. While it wasn’t smooth sailing all night, Clemson’s seniors and big men continued to lead the way in a 90-75 win over Syracuse (20-11, 11-9 ACC).

"Had some open looks early and guys found me...They kept finding me and they kept falling," Hall said. "It was awesome...Once I stepped out there, the nerves went away."

Hall finished with 25, and he was joined in double-figure scoring by Joseph Girard III's 21 and Chase Hunter's 17 and Ian Schieffelin's 16. Schieffelin notched a third double-double in a row and ninth this season by adding 16 rebounds.

The Tigers (21-9, 11-8) can clinch a top-four seed and a double bye to the quarterfinals in D.C.’s ACC Tournament with a win on Saturday versus Wake Forest. With Wake Forest's home loss to Georgia Tech on Tuesday, there is still a scenario where Clemson can get fourth place with a loss and a Pitt home loss to NC State as well. The Tigers can go as high as a 3-seed with a win, Virginia loss to Georgia Tech at home and a Pitt win.

After starting the calendar year 2-3 at home, Clemson finished on a three-game home winning streak. The Tigers have won each of the second matchups in conference play in all six games this season now, sweeping season series with Syracuse, Florida State and Pitt and splitting with Miami, UNC and Georgia Tech.

Going into the matchup, Clemson was regarded as a projected 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament by BracketMatrix.

"We got some big things coming...We're about to make a big run," Hunter said, when asked for a message to Clemson fans.

Clemson’s senior class started strong overall, scoring 24 of Clemson’s first 27 points on the night.

After falling behind by double digits, Syracuse mounted an 8-0 run on 5-of-6 shooting to get back within two, but the Orange suffered an over four-minute scoring drought to the closing seconds.

The Tigers finished the first half on a 12-2 run, which was capped by a Hunter slam, to lead by 12. Clemson doubled up Syracuse on points in the paint (24-12).

The points didn’t come early for Hall in the second half, but Girard, facing his old team again, stepped in to hit from beyond the arc. Fellow senior Jack Clark, who missed the loss at Notre Dame on Saturday (illness), also knocked one down from the perimeter to maintain Clemson’s lead at 12 with nearly six minutes into the second half.

After Syracuse trimmed the lead to single digits, Clemson continued its power in the paint to extend it back out, with Chauncey Wiggins getting a tough bucket and Schieffelin there for the second-chance layup to bring a Syracuse timeout with under nine minutes left, Clemson up 63-52.

Hunter built the lead out to 14 with a 3-pointer with eight minutes left. Girard then extended his run into double-digit scoring by getting fouled on a 3-point make for a 4-point play to get the crowd going, which was only aided by a vicious block on a 3-point attempt by Hall.

The Tigers improved to a 7-1 record versus Syracuse at Littlejohn.

Clemson wraps the regular season at Wake Forest on Saturday (6 p.m./ACCN).

"It will be a tremendous challenge," Brownell said.

Notes: Clemson honored a group of seniors that included transfers in Jack Clark, Bas Leyte and Joseph Girard III, as well as first-team All-ACC candidate PJ Hall and Chase Hunter. In that group, Hall and Hunter have remaining eligibility due to current NCAA rules. Hall has landed on NBA mock drafts over the season.

Graduate guard Alex Hemenway was not honored with the group, and he can qualify for a medical hardship waiver to play next season if he chooses. He and Leyte have been regular members of the players listed out this season.