Clemson surges in second half, tops Towson 80-75

PJ Hall scored 22 points, Hunter Tyson added 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Clemson overcame another second-half deficit to fend off a stiff challenge from Towson on Wednesday night.

Clemson trailed for much of the second half after clinging to a two-point halftime lead, finding itself down 57-53 after a Nicolas Timberlake 3-pointer with 9:15 remaining. The Tigers made their next nine shots from the field, however, and ripped off 27 points over the game’s final nine minutes to secure an 80-75 win.

Clemson started the game in sloppy fashion — turning the ball over several times and falling behind 18-12 — but climbed back to seize a tenuous 37-35 lead at halftime.

Towson quickly erased that deficit and built a 48-41 lead with a 13-4 run out of the halftime break spearheaded by a pair of Ryan Conway 3-pointers. Clemson countered with an 8-2 spurt that brought the game back within reach.

Hall topped 20 points for the third straight game and seems to rounding into form after being limited with an injury to begin the season. Tyson logged his second straight double-double and fifth of the season.

Alex Hemenway chipped in 15 points for Clemson, while Chase Hunter added 14 points and seven assists. Clemson made 14 of its 23 attempts from 3-point range and assisted on 21 of its 28 baskets.

Josh Beadle provided a nice boost off the bench for Clemson with 6 points on 2-of-2 3-point shooting and three assists.

Timberlake led the way for Towson with 21 points, with leading scorer Cameron Holden adding 18.

Clemson will take a four-game winning streak to Atlanta on Saturday to face Loyola-Chicago in a neutral-site game.