The Clemson Tigers (1-0) took down the Winthrop Eagles (0-1) in their home opener at Littlejohn Coliseum on Monday night, winning 78-56 in a spirited defensive affair.

The Tigers, led by center PJ Hall and forward Ian Schieffelin, held the lead against the Eagles the entire way, starting off hot on defense in the first half. As play continued, both teams began to heat up offensively. Foul trouble plagued both sides, but especially the Tigers, which helped Winthrop stay in the game.

In the second half, Hall and company fired on all cylinders and led the charge for the rest of the night, finishing with 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block. At one point, the Tigers were up by 24 points.

Throughout the night, Clemson’s defense rattled the Eagles’ offense, as the Tigers had six blocks, seven steals and forced 14 turnovers. Clemson also had 10 offensive rebounds compared to Winthrop’s six.

“We’ve always been a big believer, obviously with Brownell,” Hall said after the game. “Defense is one of his staples, (a) big believer in defense leads your offense.”

While Hall led the team in points by the end of the game, Schieffelin made a massive impact on creating the early lead and maintaining opportunities to score. He led the team in rebounds with seven, two of which were offensive boards that came in the opening minutes of the game. He also scored 16 points on 5 of 8 from the field.

“He’s good, man, I think he’s a good player,” Brownell said of Schieffelin. “We worked really hard with him, starting in his freshman year. He’s a guy who has been really fighting for this for a year and a half, and physically, he’s mature, and he’s just played enough that he is a confident player.”

The Tigers hope to ride their hot start against UAB on Friday in Asheville, North Carolina, in the 2023 Asheville Championship.