Credit: Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
Hunter Tyson recorded career highs of 31 points and 15 rebounds to fuel host Clemson to a 78-64 victory over North Carolina State on Friday in an Atlantic Coast Conference game.
Tyson made 9 of 13 shots from the floor — including 4 of 5 from 3-point range — and all nine of his attempts from the free-throw line.
Tyson’s point total eclipsed his previous high of 24, set during the Tigers’ 101-94 double-overtime victory over Penn State on Nov. 29. The North Carolina native’s double-double was his sixth of the season and second in as many games.
Chase Hunter scored 12 points and Ben Middlebrooks added a career-high 10 for Clemson (11-3, 3-0 ACC), which has won three in a row and seven of its last eight games. The Tigers also won their first three conference games for the first time since 2017-18.
Wolfpack leading scorer Terquavion Smith scored 21 points despite making just 5 of 21 shots from the floor — including 3 of 13 from 3-point range. Casey Morsell had 13 points and Jack Clark collected seven points and 11 rebounds for NC State (11-4, 1-3), which saw its three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Morsell sank a 3-pointer to trim Clemson’s lead to 66-61 with 2:48 remaining in the second half. The Tigers answered with a 12-0 run as they made their final eight free-throw attempts, Dillon Hunter added an acrobatic layup and Chase Hunter sealed the win with an emphatic dunk.
Tyson converted a three-point play to stake Clemson to a 32-24 lead early in the second half. He also made a pair of free throws following a technical foul on NC State coach Kevin Keatts before draining a 3-pointer to push the advantage to 13 points.
Clark sandwiched a 3-pointer and three-point play around Ebenezer Dowuona’s emphatic dunk as the Wolfpack closed to within five. Tyson regained the momentum for the Tigers by making a fadeaway jumper, a layup, a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to push their lead to 55-42 with 9:28 to play.
–Field Level Media