There was less than a full house at remodeled Littlejohn Coliseum to greet Purnell -- probably because of the annualClemson-South Carolina football game in Columbia Saturday night.
Gardner-Webb (1-2) and its solid three-point shooters had figured to give the young, untested Tigers a good go. But Purnell's squad went on a 21-to-2 run that turned a tight early game into a rout.
Gardner-Webb hit four three-pointers on the way to lead 14-9. Josh Chiles' basket with 13:34 remaining in the opening half put them ahead 19-18.
Robinson began Clemson's run with a 3-pointer. When Jimmy Hudson, a freshman, banked home an unorthodox three-pointer on his first field goal attempt, the Tigers led 39-21.
Gardner-Webb never got closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
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