Girard and Hall score 26 each as Tigers dunk on Eagles to end three-game skid |
CLEMSON – The Eagles were just what the Tigers ordered.
Joe Girard and PJ Hall each scored 26 points as Clemson broke a three-game losing streak with an 89-78 victory over Boston College Saturday afternoon in Littlejohn Coliseum. Girard was 8-of-16 from the field and 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, while Hall was 10-of-18 from the field and hit all six of his free throws. Hall also had a game-high 11 rebounds. The double-double was the third of the season for Hall and the 10th of his career. RJ Godfrey scored 11 and was the only other Tiger in double figures. The meeting was the 30th all-time between the two programs and Clemson now leads the series 21-9. Head coach Brad Brownell improved his record against the Eagles to 13-5. Clemson improves to 12-4 overall and 2-3 in the ACC, while Boston College falls to 10-6 overall and 1-4 in league play. Clemson held a 38-23 advantage in rebounds and forced 14 Boston College turnovers while turning it over just six times. The early first few minutes saw the Tigers continue their cold shooting ways – at one point Clemson had missed 22 consecutive shots inside Littlejohn dating back to the UNC game – and Boston College ran out to a 9-4 lead that had the home fans on edge. The Tigers then went on a 10-0 run that was capped by a 3-pointer by Dillon Hunter to take a 14-9 lead. Ian Schieffelin’s old-fashioned 3-point play pushed the Clemson advantage to its largest of the half to that point at 28-21, but the Tigers began to get in foul trouble, and Boston College managed to hang around. As time ran out in the half, Girard was fouled on a 3-point attempt, and he hit all three free throws as the Tigers led 44-35 at intermission. The Eagles hung tough early in the second half, and when Jaedyn Zackary dropped a 3-pointer at the 18:15 mark, the Tigers held a 46-40 lead. That’s when the Tigers finally got hot. Girard made a driving layup on the ensuing possession, and RJ Godfrey powered for another bucket to extend the lead to 10 at 50-40, but Zackery made another jumper that made it 50-42. Hall then hit two free throws, Godfrey muscled inside for a layup, and Girard floated down the right side and drilled a fastbreak 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 57-42 lead. Godfrey hit another shot to complete a 13-2 run by the Tigers that covered just over four minutes and gave Clemson a 59-42 lead with just over 14 minutes remaining. Girard hit a 3-pointer during that span that was the 343rd of his career, good for fourth in ACC history. The Tigers were able to keep a working margin of double digits over the next ten minutes of play, and along the way, Girard was starting to heat up. He hit a 3-pointer, a layup and another 3-pointer over the span of two minutes, the last one giving the Tigers an 85-66 lead with just over four minutes to play. The Tigers host Georgia Tech Tuesday at 9 pm, then travel to Florida State next Saturday for a 4 pm tip. JG3 IS ON FIRE 🔥🔥🔥 This three was @JG3_____'s 343rd of his career, good for 4th in ACC history! 🎯 Freight train in the paint 🚂
Make it 2️⃣4️⃣ points for No. 11! He's 7-for-15 from the field including five from beyond the arc!
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