After a three-game losing skid, Brad Brownell was adamant that his team needed to be better defensively. Everything was up for discussion at that point.
Needless to say, Clemson’s defense stepped up in the team’s 75-48 win over Pitt, holding the Panthers to just 21 second-half points
The effort had been there for the Tigers, but the results hadn’t. That changed in what was a much-needed win for Clemson (11-8, 3-5 ACC) on Saturday night. It was Clemson’s first conference win at home this season.
“Just a terrific performance by our team,” Brownell said postgame. “I thought our kids played exceptionally well tonight, very focused, and did exactly what we practiced for two days. We had very difficult practices here the last couple of days to try and shore up our defense. Hopefully, that will continue. That will be a big determiner in how well we do finishing this season.”
P.J. Hall led Clemson scorers for most of the way with 16 points, and while Hall provided the Tigers with another solid offensive performance, it was the play of Clemson’s backcourt that helped it capture a 27-point victory.
Al-Amir Dawes, who finished Saturday’s contest with a game-high 19 points, couldn’t miss in the second half. He finished the game 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, in one of his better performances of the season.
The junior guard from Newark (N.J.) got into a rhythm. He’s arguably Clemson’s best 3-point shooter and he hit some important shots in the first half and just continued to pile on in the second frame.
Changing the Guard
Brownell previously made a lineup change that just wasn’t effective. Clemson’s head coach inserted Alex Hemenway into the starting lineup for the Tigers’ previous two games, but he wasn’t getting the job done.
Brownell made another change. No, he didn’t return Nick Honor to Clemon’s starting five, rather, he gave Chase Hunter the opportunity he earned. Hunter, who has finally found his shooting stroke, was a factor for the Tigers on both ends of the court Saturday.
The junior guard out of Atlanta’s Westlake High School didn’t match a career-high in points, but he arguably had his best game to date. Hunter scored 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting with five boards and three assists.
His lone made three was the dagger. While it extended Clemson’s commanding lead from just 15-to-18, it took any air out of a potential Pitt comeback.
Brownell wanted to signal out Hunter for his performance on Saturday.
“He got his first start in a long time,” Brownell said. “I couldn’t be more proud of him and the way he’s played. Not just tonight, but just the way he’s hung in there in his three years here.
“I’m just really happy that he’s playing better the last month and he deserved a start today and he played well. It’s a great day for us.”
But you can’t mention the play of Hunter and Dawes without touching on an unsung hero in David Collins. The USF transfer had 10 points and added seven rebounds and six assists.
“He wants to win, Brownell said of Collins. “There’s never a day where he’s not gonna give his best. He’s extremely competitive, sometimes to a fault…I’m just really pleased with how he’s developing, the kind of year he’s having and the work he brings to our practices every day.”
Dominant Defense
Clemson’s defensive effort on Saturday can’t be overstated.
The Tigers held Pitt to just 16-of-48 (33.3%) from the field and 7-of-23 (30.4%) from deep. The results that were missing against Notre Dame, Boston College and Syracuse were visible in Saturday’s win.
If Clemson’s defensive effort against Syracuse was close to an “F,” then Brownell would give Saturday’s performance an “A.”
“Today was outstanding,” he said. “We can’t guard them any better than that.”
Brownell agreed that what he saw from Clemson’s defense was a “huge step” in the right direction, especially with No. 6 Duke on the horizon.
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