MBB: Clemson 58 Delaware St 37 Final |
Final: Clemson 58 Delaware State 37 pic.twitter.com/auxNREfjY1 CLEMSON, SC - Clemson held Delaware State to just 14 second half points and matched its best scoring defense output under Head Coach Brad Brownell in a 58-37 victory Wednesday at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers moved to 2-0 with the win, while the Hornets fell to 1-2 after the loss. Clemson's defense stole the show Wednesday, limiting Delaware State to 27 percent shooting overall - including a 4-for-24 effort in the second half. The 14 points were the fewest allowed in a half under Brownell, who has coached 98 games at Clemson. Conversely, the Tigers shot 41 percent overall and 79 percent at the free throw line. Clemson also possessed a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio (14-7). Damarcus Harrison reached double figures for a second straight contest and led all scorers with 15 points on the night. He made 4-of-8 shots, including 2-of-4 from long distance. K.J. McDaniels was the game's only other player in double figures with 11. Jaron Blossomgame got Clemson going with his energy early on. He was a force on the offensive glass against Delaware State's zone, and found himself open on a nifty pass inside from McDaniels for his first collegiate dunk to put the Tigers up 5-4. A couple of Hornet turnovers later and three-pointers by Jordan Roper and McDaniels suddenly saw the lead pushed to 11-4. The action went back and forth for the next several minutes until Clemson's lead grew to 13 on a power move inside by Blossomgame, who finished with eight points and eight rebounds. After the Hornets cut the lead to nine, McDaniels rose above the crowd to follow a Harrison miss with his first signature dunk of the season to make it 28-17. Harrison then got in on the action, collecting a steal up top with 1:26 to go and slammed home his ninth point of the half to make it 31-19. But Delaware State's Jason Owens sank a 12-footer as time expired to pull his team within nine at halftime, 32-23. The Tigers came out a step slow to start the second half, but amped up behind a jam inside from McDaniels and another three from Harrison, as the lead grew to 42-27. Clemson pushed its lead to a 17-point margin after Adonis Filer scored on a fast break and Blossomgame followed with a long two. Clemson enjoyed a 20+ point lead much of the final 10 minutes thanks to a suffocating defense. The Tigers return to action Sunday to host archrival South Carolina at 5 p.m. Call 1-800-CLEMSON or visit ClemsonTigers.com for ticket information. TEAM NOTES · With Wednesday’s win, Clemson improved to 4-0 all-time in the series against Delaware State. · The win also pushed Clemson’s overall record to 29-1 over teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. · Clemson held Delaware State to 37 total points, matching the fewest allowed by a Brad Brownell coached team (98 games). The previous occurrence came at Georgia Tech in 2011-12 when the Tigers won by a score of 56-37. · The 37 points were the fewest allowed by Clemson at home since the Tigers held North Florida to 36 on Dec. 16, 2008. · Delaware State’s 14 second half points were the fewest allowed by a Brownell coached team in 98 games. The previous low was 15, on three occasions (including the opener vs. Stetson). · Clemson is now 20-2 all-time under Brownell when allowing 50 points or less. · Clemson put together a run of at least 12 consecutive points in the opening half for a second straight game. The Tigers held the Hornets scoreless for a period of 6:11 during the 12-0 stretch. · The Tigers committed just seven turnovers Wednesday, their fewest since Feb. 17, 2013 (six versus Miami). · Delaware State made just one three-point goal. It is the fewest makes by an opponent in 98 games under Brownell. The previous low was two on nine occasions. INDIVIDUAL NOTES · Damarcus Harrison reached double figures for the second straight game, only the second time in 33 games at Clemson he has done that. · Harrison posted career highs in both free throws made (5) and attempted (6). · Jaron Blossomgame, who red-shirted last season due to a broken leg, recorded his first collegiate dunk with under 16 minutes in the opening half. · Blossomgame scored eight points for a second straight game and grabbed a season-high eight rebounds in 27 minutes of play. · With his first blocked shot of the opening half, K.J. McDaniels extended his streak to 19 consecutive games with at least one swat. · McDaniels finished the night with five blocks, the fifth time in 60 career games he has recorded at least five blocks in a game. · Rod Hall posted four assists with no turnovers and has still yet to commit one this season through 54 minutes. · Sidy Djitte, a freshman from Senegal, scored his first points as a Tiger with a layup in the final seconds.
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VISITORS: Delaware State 1-2
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