Reed, Mitchell lead Clemson over Ohio State 79-65
Clemson overcame a poor first half of action on the hardwood tonight and put together their best win of the season, a 79-65 win on the road in Columbus over Ohio State.
The Tiger offense couldn't find a rhythm early on.
Defensively, Clemson stepped on their own toes for twenty minutes.
It wasn't an ideal start for what was surely the first game many Clemson fans watched at length this season. Tiger fans who tuned in to watch Brad Brownell's basketball club for the first time this season couldn't have been happy in the early going.
Clemson failed to close out on Ohio State shooters early on, and wide open looks helped the Buckeyes get off to a good start at home. It wasn't looking good.
No matter how close the Tigers got, Ohio State seemed to find the answer. Even though the game felt like it was on the verge of slipping away, Clemson only trailed at the break 37-30.
In all honesty, it felt like a fifteen point lead, but that changed quickly after the break as Clemson finally got things going on the offensive end of the floor.
A week ago, Brad Brownell told us, "Offensively we are doing fine," and in the second half the Tigers were better than fine, they were hot. Clemson used a 15-2 second-half run to pull away from Ohio State delivering a win for the ACC in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Clemson, led by backcourt mates, Marcquise Reed and Shelton Mitchell's play turned the game in the Tigers' favor.
Reed led the come from behind victory scoring a game-high, and season-high 22 points, with 7 rebounds, while Mitchell chipped in with 19 points of his own and 6 assists. The two guards combined to shoot 6-10 from beyond the arc in the game, helping Clemson outscore the Buckeyes 49-28 in the second half of action.
Clemson also got notable contributions from Elijah Thomas and Donte Grantham who both had well-rounded performances for the Tigers.
Clemson, never known for their free throw shooting also knocked down 85% from the charity stripe.
Thomas, the 6'9 junior added 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks, while Grantham added 11 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds.
The Tigers shot 56% from the floor and were 10-19 from three-point range.
Clemson, never known for their free throw shooting also knocked down 85% from the charity stripe.
With the win, Clemson is now 10-7 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and Clemson moved to 2-0 all-time against Ohio State.
The Tigers are also 6-1 for the first time to open a season since 2009-2010.
Clemson's next game is this Sunday against UNC-Asheville in Littlejohn Coliseum at 3:00 PM.