WATCH: PJ Hall throws down the hammer during No. 6 seeded Clemson vs. No. 3 seeded Baylor game
The 2024 NCAA Tournament saw the first upset of the second round when Clemson took on Baylor. For the entire game, the higher-seeded Baylor Bears did not gain the lead, not even once as the Clemson Tigers dominated the entire evening.
Before Baylor tried to make a late rally that was ultimately snuffed out and unsuccessful, PJ Hall made an emphatic dunk that highlighted the one-sided nature of the matchup between the two teams.
It was Ian Schieffelin who received a pass at the elbow. As he surveyed the scene, Hall burst through the top of the key from the other end. Schieffelin immediately saw the open lane and delivered a high pass that PJ Hall was happy to receive and throw down for a dunk all in one motion as Clemson's lead ballooned to 13 with about seven minutes left.
For the night, PJ Hall had a relatively quiet outing, finishing the game with just 11 points before fouling out late in the contest. But his biggest impact was on defense, where he kept opposing center Yves Missi at just two points for the night.
Baylor rallies but ultimately falls short against Clemson
Clemson, led by Chase Hunter, who finished with 20 points and six assists, was dominant on the defensive end. Against a team boasting the sixth-best offensive rating in the country, they held them to just 64 points on sub-40% from the field and just 25% from 3-point territory.
When Hall hit the dunk, the scoreboard read 59-46, in favor of Clemson. From there, the Bears went on a massive 18-7 run to bring the game down to two points with half a minute left.
Led by Ray J Dennis and Ja'Kobe Walter, who finished with 27 and 20 points respectively, the team forced a huge rally to bring the game to 66-64. A turnover by Jack Clark for Clemson opened the door for Baylor to capitalize.
But, it was Ja'Kobe, who could not come through. After drawing the foul that forced PJ Hall to foul out, he missed both free throws that could have tied the game.
From there, it became a game of fouling and free-throw shooting, where Clemson did not miss a single of its six attempts, eventually ending the game at 72-64. Now the Tigers move on to the Sweet 16 against the No. 2-seeded Arizona team coming off a 78-68 victory over Dayton.
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