Grantham and DeVoe lead the charge over North Carolina A&T
Brad Brownell and the Clemson Tigers move to (2-0) in the early season with an 87-63 win over North Carolina A&T in Littlejohn Coliseum.
In the first-ever meeting between the two schools, both teams entered with (1-0) records. The Tigers holding a 85-57 win over Western Carolina, and NC A&T knocked off Greensboro College 104-80 early in the week.
Clemson controlled the game throughout, including keeping the lead in their pocket the entire 40 minutes. The Tigers jumped out to an early 10-3 lead and never looked back.
A&T cut Clemson’s lead to four 22-18 with 11:24 left in the first half, but Clemson went on a 9-2 run to stretch their lead to 31-20.
A large key to a Clemson victory was rebounding efficiency. A team total of 38 rebounds as Donte Grantham led the way and posted a double-double with career-high 12 rebounds to go along with 17 points.
Senior Gabe DeVoe also had a large part in the Clemson victory chipping in with a double-double himself gaining 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Both Grantham and DeVoe were among the top scorers on the afternoon for Clemson, along with Marcquise Reed's 13, Shelton Mitchell’s 10, and a strong performance from junior Elijah Thomas who posted 13 points and 9 boards.
For the second consecutive game, the Tigers went to the foul line 20 or more times and finished 15-for-22 from the line.
After playing two games in three days, Clemson will travel to Charleston, SC to compete in the Gildan Charleston Classic.
Other teams in the tournament include Auburn, Indiana State, Temple, Old Dominion, Ohio, Dayton, and Hofstra.