CLEMSON, SC - The Tigers went back and forth with Colgate for most of the game, but the Tigers were finally able to string together some defensive stops in the final minutes to pull away and prevail 81-68. It was good to see this hodgepodge of transfers and new faces grit out a close game over a scrappy Colgate team that made seven 3's in the second half. That is probably an NCAA Tournament team and a good win on the resume for the Tigers.
Mack led with 17 points, Dawes scored 16 and Simms 12. He scored 10 in the 2nd half after scoring just 2 points in the previous 3 halves. The Tigers didn't shoot as well from beyond the arc as they did on Thursday night, but Dawes made a big one at the end of the game to give them some separation. Hunter Tyson had his most productive game this season, scoring 7 points in just 8 minutes of play. I asked Brownell for an update on Alex Hemenway's MRI, and the good news is that it's a high ankle sprain. The bad news is those can linger and take a long time to heal. But at least he won't miss the whole season. They are already without Trapp and Baehre, who are both recovering from ACL tears over the summer and hope to be back late in the season.
The Tigers improve to 2-1 and get a week off to regroup now after 3 games in 6 days. Brownell will give them a couple days off, and they will carry some momentum and confidence into practice. It will also give the coaches a chance to figure out some personnel groupings with the new pieces they have.
Post-game interviews with Brownell, Simms and Mack are below!
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