Against a South Carolina team down six players, Clemson picked up its third consecutive victory Saturday night, defeating the shorthanded rival Gamecocks, 70-56.
Three of the missing Gamecocks were top-six scorers for the team, and Clemson took advantage of it. At halftime, the Tigers had a six-point lead off of a 15-5 run.
That six-point lead for Clemson quickly turned into a 23-point lead, as Clemson held South Carolina to three points in the first eight minutes of the second half. In that same time frame, the Tigers scored 22 points, giving them a 52-27 lead. 
South Carolina had a late-game push, highlighted by a 12-0 run midway through the second half, but ultimately Clemson closed the deal and sent South Carolina home with a loss.
For the Tigers, senior forward Hunter Tyson led the team in scoring with 18 points. 
“He’s playing like a senior,” said Clemson head coach Brad Brownell after the game. “He’s wants to do so well. He wants to continue to lead. He’s the leader of our team. He’s leading every way possible, by example, by the way he approaches practice.” 
One statistic that jumped off the page was Clemson’s 19 offensive rebounds. Of those, six were grabbed by Tyson. Tyson finished the game with 13 total rebounds, giving him a double-double on the night.
After the game, Brownell said his team did more rebounding drills than usual in preparation for South Carolina’s rebounding skills. 
“It was a constant reminder that that’s where they beat you up,” he said. “Guys are running out to rebound and we wanted to get some transition baskets, which we did. We got some clean rebounds and we scored in transition.”
Meanwhile, sophomore center PJ Hall continued to impress and was second on the team in scoring with 16 points. Saturday night’s performance marked his 11^th consecutive game with ten or more points. 
For the Gamecocks, junior guard Chico Carter Jr. had a team-high 21 points on 5-13 shooting.
Clemson now sits at 8-4 on the year and will head into ACC play with a game at Virginia on Wednesday, Dec. 22.