Clemson takes care of Augusta in exhibition matchup |
CLEMSON - One final tuneup.
Chase Hunter and Chauncey Wiggins combined for 29 of Clemson’s 45 first-half points as the Tigers dusted off the preseason cobwebs against Augusta, 90-49. The first ten minutes of action featured a back-and-forth between both programs, receiving the first taste of live action before the regular season. Clemson held a 16-14 lead with 10:38 left to play in the first half, shaking off the rust in full-court action. However, the Jaguars couldn’t hold serve forever. In fact, Clemson’s portal additions broke the stalemate. Viktor Lakhin collided inside for a three-point play, converting at the line. Myles Foster put together quality possessions together, throwing down a dunk to put Clemson up 26-14. From there, the floodgates opened. Chase Hunter knocked down three triples from outside in the final six minutes of the half, as the Tigers led by as much as 22 in the first half. Wiggins also put on a show in the first half, dropping 16 points on nine shots. He would finish the evening with 18. Brad Brownell wasn't surprised Wiggins came out swinging, but knows there's an extra punch that his junior forward is capable of. "I think he can do more, and he needs to do more, and I just want him to affect the game more than just the shots," Brownell said. "And he got a couple of hands on a couple of balls. He got a couple of rebounds and got a nice tip in on offense. But yeah, he's the guy that can make a shot. He can drive the ball to the basket. He's got a lot of basketball skill, and we've been talking about that for a long time with him, so obviously, I'm not surprised that he had a game like he did today, and we'll need a lot more of those this year." The second half mostly told the same story, with Clemson continuing to force the issue on the Jaguars. The Tigers led by as much as 44 points on their way to the blowout victory. Clemson’s newcomers got plenty of looks in their first game in Littlejohn, with all four portal additions logging important minutes. Foster led the way with eight points while also tallying three rebounds. Lakhin added seven points in his first Clemson start. Where Foster and Lakhin opened things up, Christian Reeves closed the show. Reeves tallied 11 points in the second half, with his and-one alley-oop putting Clemson up 65-35 with 9:58 to play. The former Duke product also hauled in a team-high eight rebounds. Brownell was pleased with that second-half stretch, hoping it contributes to his growth down the road. "He had a really good stretch," Brownell said. "I didn't think his first half stretch was very good. He's still finding his way, but then he had a nice five, six-minute stretch there in the second half. I thought guys found him. Certainly, his size was a factor. He finished some baskets around the rim, which was good. Yeah, I thought he did some nice things. I'm happy for him. He's been working at it, and he just needs to continue to build his confidence, and I was glad to see him get rebounds." The Tigers shot 51 percent (34-67) from the field and converted eight 22 attempts from deep. Additionally, Clemson cashed in on 27 points off of 20 Augusta turnovers. The Tigers only gave up the ball eight times. Brownell’s unit also outscored the Jaguars 42-7 off the bench. Clemson tips off the regular season against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers on Monday at 7:00 p.m. on the ACC Network Extra. New Tigers making PLAYS! 💥 pic.twitter.com/RcW0R22cM0
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
