Tigers respond to adversity as a team in early test

Dawes says they were "punched in the mouth" early, but the team leadership was able to rebound. (Photo: Ken Ruinard / USATODAY)Much like his team, it was a tale of two halves for Clemson guard Al-Amir Dawes on Tuesday night inside of Littlejohn Coliseum in the Tigers’ 64-53 season-opening win over Presbyterian. Dawes scored 21 points on the night, 16 of those coming in the second half that saw Clemson outscore the Blue Hose by 19 to erase an eight-point halftime deficit.

Dawes led Clemson in the scoring column with his 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while Hunter Tyson and David Collins both scored 14 points respectively. The junior from New Jersey made four of his last six shots to extend…