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Clemson Basketball

Clemson falls in Charleston Classic Final 67-60 to Temple

November 19, 2017
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Clemson (4-1) came up just short against Temple (3-0) on Sunday evening, 67-60. The Tigers' hopes of winning the Gildan Charleston Classic were put in peril after Temple outscored Clemson 31-17 from the mid-point of the first half through the opening seven minutes of the second half.

The Tigers and Owls traded baskets throughout the first twelve minutes of action. Clemson's Scott Spencer hit a jumper with 8:49 left in the first half, squaring the score at 19.

Shelton Mitchell led Clemson with 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists, but only managed four points in the second half of action.

From that point, Temple went on a small 18-12 run giving the Owls a 37-31 lead at the break.

After the game, Brad Brownell said, "This was a game that was physical. They let the players play. In those kinds of situations, you gotta be physical, and you've gotta make tough plays. We just weren't able to do that tonight."

The Owls hot shooting continued to open the second half taking control of the game with a 13-5 run, putting Clemson in a 50-36 hole. The fourteen point deficit would be the largest of the game.

Shelton Mitchell led Clemson with 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists, but only managed four points in the second half of action. Donte Grantham contributed with 13 points and nine rebounds for Brad Brownell's club.

Gabe Devoe couldn't find the mark all night shooting 0-7 from the floor and 0-6 from behind the arc. Big man Elijah Thomas also had a tough night, scoring just six points with seven turnovers.

In the second half, Marcquise Reed provided a spark to help Clemson make it a contest down the stretch. Reed scored 14 points during the game, 11 of which were in the second frame. His play helped chip away at the Owl lead.

Clemson shot 23-55 from the floor and 7-26 from the three-point line. The Tigers also shot 78% from the free throw line but managed just nine attempts during the game.

Clemson shot 23-55 from the floor and 7-26 from the three-point line. The Tigers also shot 78% from the free throw line but managed just nine attempts during the game.

The Tigers would trim the Owl's lead to four points twice, but that's as close as Clemson could get.

Clemson cut the score to 62-58 on two Reed free throws with twenty-five seconds left. Moments later a Grantham layup made it 64-60. Grantham's hoop would be Clemson's last of the game and Temple hit three free throws to close the scoring. 

Donte Grantham was named to the all-tournament team for his efforts over the court of the week. Grantham averaged 18.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and shot 65.6 percent (21-for-32) from the floor, including 42.9 percent from three (6-for-14) and 7-for-9 at the line.

Clemson next game is against Texas Southern on Friday at 3:00 PM on the ACC Network.


Notes:

  • With the loss, the Tigers fell to 7-2 all-time in the Charleston Classic – having reached the final game in all three tournaments
  • Clemson falls to 2-3 all-time against Temple
  • Mark Donnal tied his season-high with nine points
  • Reed has posted back-to-back games of 7+ rebounds after having a career-high of six prior to Friday night
  • 16 points for Shelton Mitchell tied his season-high
  • The Tigers were outscored 25-7 in points off turnovers.

 

 
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