Clemson picked up its third consecutive win on Tuesday night, cruising by visiting Loyola Maryland 72-41 in a campus game of the Emerald Coast Classic.
Both teams will now head to Niceville, Fla., for the remainder of the tournament.
Hunter Tyson paced Clemson (4-1) with 14 points and nine rebounds. Alex Hemenway added 13 points, hitting on all three of his attempts from beyond the 3-point arc, and Chase Hunter had 10 points.
Alonso Faure scored a game-high 15 points for Loyola Maryland (2-3), sinking 6 of 9 shots from the field. Deon Perry added 11 points, thanks largely to three 3-pointers.
After scoring four points and pulling down two rebounds, Greyhounds leading rebounder Golden Dike was ejected nine minutes into the game after a technical foul. His absence helped allow the Tigers to dominate the glass, as Clemson won the battle on the boards 41-27.
The Tigers wasted no time asserting their dominance, starting the game on an 11-6 run and never looking back. An 18-0 run over the final 6 1/2 minutes of the first half saw Clemson break it wide open, as coach Brad Brownell’s team took a commanding 43-14 lead into the break.
It was a stifling defensive effort, as Clemson held the Greyhounds to 6 of 24 (25 percent) on 3-point attempts and just 28.8 percent shooting from the field.
With the Tigers extending their lead to 34 in the second half, Brownell was able to get some of his more inexperienced players some valuable minutes. Freshmen Josh Beadle, RJ Godfrey, Dillon Hunter and Chauncey Wiggins all saw extended time, with each logging more than 10 minutes. Wiggins and Godfrey finished with seven points each.
Clemson returns to action against Iowa on Friday night after Loyola Maryland squares off with Southern University on Friday morning.
–Field Level Media