Tigers win opener at Paradise Jam |
ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands -- Junior swingman Tanner Smith tied his career high with 17 points and the Clemson Tigers started off the Paradise Jam on a good note, defeating Long Beach St. 69-55 in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
The Tigers (3-0) will play Old Dominion in the second round on Sunday. “It was a good first night for us, and I am pleased with the way the kids played on both sides of the ball,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. “I thought we defended extremely well throughout the games, and our guys were prepared and did a good job of following the scouting reports.” Clemson hit on 8-of-24 field goals and now has shot 50 percent or better in three straight games to open the season. The Tigers also shot a season-best 59 percent from 3-point range (10-of-17), with six different players hitting 3-pointers. “I thought we played really hard,” Brownell said. “We had a problem with their offensive rebounds in the first half, but we got that fixed, and we rebounded better in the second half. We also shot the ball really well, and any time you hit 10-of-17 from 3-point range, then you will be successful offensively.” The Tigers ran out to a 13-point lead in the first half, but Long Beach State closed to 28-24 with 3:50 to go. The Tigers finished the half on a 9-0 run and led by as many as 20 in the second half. Smith also scored 17 points last year when Clemson defeated the 49ers 87-79 in their only other meeting. On Friday, Smith was 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and hit all seven of his free throw attempts. “It was good to see Tanner play well and shoot free throws,” Brownell said. “I thought all of our guys shot the ball well. They took good shots, and they were patient. The shots we took were open. Both Tanner and Andre [Young] knocked down several.” Larry Anderson scored 14 and was the only Long Beach State player in double figures. Team Notes * Clemson defeated Long Beach State by a score of 69-55 Friday to move into the winner's bracket of the 2010 Paradise Jam. * The Tigers will now face Old Dominion on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 6:00 PM Eastern time. The game will be televised live by Fox College Sports. * This is the second straight season the Tigers have defeated Long Beach State in a regular season tournament. Last year, Clemson downed the 49ers by a score of 87-79 in Anaheim's 76 Classic. * Sunday's game will be the first meeting against Old Dominion since the 2007-08 season, when Clemson claimed a 66-53 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum. The two teams also played in 2006-07 at the Cox Classic at Old Dominion, with the Tigers coming away with a 74-70 victory. * Clemson holds a 2-1 advantage all-time in the series with Old Dominion. The Monarchs won the first meeting between the two in 1978-79 in double overtime. * Sunday's game will be a battle between a pair of NCAA Tournament teams from last season. The Monarchs upset Notre Dame in the first round last year, while the Tigers lost to Missouri in the opening round. * In Friday's win, the Tigers once again shot 50 percent or better from the field. Clemson hit 24-of-48 field goals for an even 50 percent. The Tigers have shot 50 percent or better in three straight games to open the 2010-11 season. * Clemson shot a season-best 59 percent from three-point range Friday. The Tigers hit 10-of-17 shots, with six different players responsible for the makes. * Clemson won the points off turnover battle for the third straight game. The Tigers took advantage of 21 Long Beach State turnovers and turned them into 21 points. * Nine different players scored in Friday's game. The only two that did not were walk-ons Zavier Anderson and Jonah Baize, who were inserted in the final minutes of the game. * Head Coach Brad Brownell moved to 13-2 all-time in regular season four- and eight-team tournaments. He won eight-team events at both UNC Wilmington and Wright State. * Brownell faced the Old Dominion program seven times during his four years at UNC Wilmington. Amazingly, he will be in search of his first win ever against the Monarchs on Sunday, despite the fact his Seahawks won a pair of Colonial Athletic Association championships in his tenure with the school. * The Clemson program has now won 14 of its last 16 games in regular season tournaments, dating to 2005. The only losses during that time were to Ole Miss in 2007 and Texas A&M in 2009. The Tigers have won the San Juan Shootout (2005), Cox Classic (2006) and Charleston Classic (2008) during that span. Individual Notes * Tanner Smith matched his career-high with 17 points. Ironically, his previous career high of 17 also came against Long Beach State last season. * Smith hit 4-of-7 shots, including 2-of-3 from long range, and all seven of his free throw attempts for his 17-point performance. His free throw tally came one game after shooting a career-worst 1-for-6 against Wofford. * Smith played an outstanding all-around game, leading the team in rebounds (6) and tying for the team lead in assists (4). * Andre Young hit 4-of-7 from three for a 12-point effort. He now needs just two long-range goals to reach 100 for his career. When he does, he will be the 16th player in school history to reach the century mark. * Young hit a buzzer-beater three to end the opening half. It is the third time in his career he has done that for Clemson. Last season, he hit a half-court three at Florida State and one just before half against Georgia Tech. * Demontez Stitt was a third player to reach double figures for Clemson. The senior scored 10 points and added three assists, despite leaving the game for a few minutes due to a bloody nose following incidental contact. * Jerai Grant blocked two shots in Friday's game to bring his career total to 122. He needs just five blocks to pass John "Moose" Campbell (1977-80) for seventh place in Clemson's record books. * Milton Jennings and Bryan Narcisse both made their first three-point goal of the season. Jennings added four rebounds in 20 minutes of play. Narcisse finished with five points. It was Narcisse's first made three-point goal since he made two against Presbyterian in the season opener last season (span of 23 games played).
VISITORS: Long Beach State 1-2
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