Clemson shoots past Wake Forest to win ACC opener, 77-57

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — PJ Hall started his second straight game and led all scorers with 21 points and Hunter Tyson contributed a double-double as Clemson overcame a cold-shooting first half to run away from Wake Forest for a 77-57 victory in the ACC opener for both teams Friday night.

The Tigers (7-2) hit just 1 of 10 shots from beyond the arc in the first half and trailed 33-26 at intermission. They shot 8 of 12 from distance in the second half, led by Alex Hemenway, who missed his first two 3-point attempts in the first half, then buried all four shots in the second half.

Hall, a 6-foot-10 junior named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar center of the year watch list, played all of last season with a broken metatarsal in his left foot and suffered a partial dislocation of his kneecap in July. He missed the season opener and saw restricted minutes before starting against Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Hall played 21 minutes and shot 7 of 11 from the field while pulling down eight rebounds.

Tyson was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line and scored 15 points with 10 rebounds. Brevin Galloway had 14 points, Hemenway finished with 12 and Chase Hunter added 11 points with four assists.

Tyree Appleby came into the game after posting 32 points in Wake Forest's 78-75 win at Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but managed just eight points against the Tigers. Daivien Williamson led the Demon Deacons (7-2) with 12 points and Cameron Hildreth finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.

NEXT UP

Wake Forest plays host to LSU on Dec. 10.

Clemson hosts Towson on Wednesday.

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