PJ Hall scored 22 points, including a jumper to give Clemson the lead for good in double-overtime, as the host Tigers defeated Penn State 101-94 in their ACC/Big Ten Challenge game on Tuesday night.
Hunter Tyson netted 24 points, all after halftime, including the bucket that extended Clemson’s lead to four in the second overtime. He added nine rebounds.
Camren Wynter led Penn State (6-2) with 25 points, including hitting 11 of 12 free throws. Jalen Pickett finished with 23 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, and Seth Lundy collected 23 points and 12 rebounds. Andrew Funk chipped in 14 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer with five seconds left in regulation.
Clemson’s Alex Hemenway (15 points) hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the second overtime. Hall added two free throws, then his tiebreaking bucket. After Josh Beadle blocked a Penn State shot, Tyson added to the lead.
After a second block by Beadle, Brevin Galloway took the rebound for a fast-break layup and a 94-88 lead with 1:07 left. Penn State never got closer than three the rest of the way.
The Tigers (6-2) shot 50.8 percent from the floor and even better on 3-pointers, 52.4 percent (11 of 21). The Nittany Lions finished at 40.8 percent from the floor and 30.6 percent from long range. They began the night shooting 42.2 percent on 3-pointers this season.
Wynter and Pickett accounted for all of Penn State’s scoring in the first overtime with six points apiece, and Hall had seven for Clemson. Chase Hunter, the Tigers’ leading scorer at 16.6 points per game, hit his only field goal of the night — a 3-pointer — in the first extra session. He finished with seven points and five assists.
Clemson entered the game hitting 74.8 percent of its free throws and did slightly worse on Tuesday, going 26 of 37 (70.3 percent). The Tigers made only 12 of 19 in the second half. Penn State made 25 of 29 from the line.
–Field Level Media