Tigers Win Charleston Classic |
The troubles for the Clemson Tigers from the free throw line are well-documented, but the fifth edition of head coach Oliver Purnell's squad may turn out a little differently.
The Tigers shot 13-for-18 from the line, including 6-of-8 in the last minute of play, in defeating the Temple Owls 76-72 in the championship game of the inaugural Charleston Classic Sunday afternoon at the Carolina First Arena. Clemson was led in scoring by sophomore guard Terrence Oglesby's 16 points, as he paced four different Clemson players in double figures. Center Trevor Booker shot 7-for-8 from the charity stripe as part of his 15 point, 16 rebound effort. Clemson led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but a layup by Temple's Lavoy Allen trimmed the Tiger lead to 72-70 with just 38 seconds remaining in the contest. The Owls fouled guard Demontez Stitt on the inbounds play, and Stitt hit the front end of two free throws. He missed the second, however, but Clemson's David Potter grabbed the rebound and called timeout. After the inbounds play, Booker was fouled and drained both free throws to extend the Clemson advantage to 75-70 with just 22 seconds left on the game clock. Stitt hit one more free throw with 14 seconds remaining to count for the final Clemson points. The Tigers held Temple, now 2-1 on the season, to Dionte Christmas, the leading scorer for the Owls, scored just 14 against the Tigers after scoring 26 points in each of the first two games of the tournament. Ryan Brooks led Temple on Sunday with 19 points. Clemson, now 3-0 after winning all three games in the Classic (they defeated Hofstra on Friday night and TCU on Saturday), led by as many as 14 points in the second half, but Temple rallied to trim the Tiger lead to two points with just 38 seconds remaining, but the Tigers' free throw shooting came through in the clutch. Clemson had jumped out to a 45-39 halftime lead after shooting a blistering 64 percent from the field in the first half, including 9-for-17 from 3-point range. Also scoring in double figures for the Tigers were K.C. Rivers (12 points) and Raymond Sikes (10 points). The Tigers return to action on Wednesday night when they host the Wofford Terriers. The game will be played at Littlejohn Coliseum and will start at 7:30 p.m.
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