Duke loses conference matchup to Clemson down the stretch

CLEMSON, SC — Clemson big man PJ Hall scored a season-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting en route to an upset 72-64 victory over No. 24 Duke at home.

The Blue Devils (13-5, 4-3 ACC) are now 1-4 in the last 30 years when playing a 6-0 conference opponent. The Tigers improved to 7-0 in ACC play for the first time in program history.

Duke came into this matchup fresh off an impressive second-half comeback win over Pitt on Wednesday, while Clemson defeated Louisville by double digits on the same day.

Clemson (15-3, 7-0 ACC) started things out on a 7-2 run led by Hall in a span where Duke got off to a 1-for-7 start shooting. In turn, Duke big man Kyle Filipowski strung together a few runs to get the Blue Devils back in front.

Filipowski finished the evening with 18 points and 14 rebounds, marking Filipowski’s eighth double-double this season. Only nine players nationally have more this season.

Duke secured a 34-30 lead going into the halftime break.

Out of the half, Clemson became more aggressive on the glass, which in turn gave them more second-chance opportunities which they capitalized on. ACC player of the year front runner Hunter Tyson and forward Ben Middlebrooks were huge for the Tigers in their rebounding effort on the glass.

Clemson guard Brevin Galloway led a second-half surge for the Tigers, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the second period. PJ Hall also put in eight points in the half, including clutch free throws down the stretch to close out the game for Clemson.

Duke struggled shooting the ball in the second half, going 0-for-12 from beyond the arc, and didn’t score a single point in transition throughout the entire night. Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer thinks his young group is still taking time to develop.

“We’re just learning how to win. I’m proud of our guys for coming out and fighting but we need to maintain that fight. The group out there was capable of getting it done but we just have to learn.”

Duke looks to bounce back at home in Cameron Indoor Stadium next Saturday as they take on Miami at Noon ET on ESPN.