National Basketball Association
South Carolina 65, Clemson 59
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, December 18, 2015
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, South Carolina
Officials:
# Patrick Adams, # Alfred Smith, # Michael Stephens
Attendance:
14446
By The Sports Xchange
Senior forward Michael Carrera scored 14 points to lead four South Carolina players in double figures as the Gamecocks improved to 10-0 for the first time in 45 years with a 65-59 victory against Clemson on Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
South Carolina is the lone remaining undefeated Southeastern Conference team and one of just eight unbeaten teams nationally.
Freshman guard P.J. Dozier had 13 points while senior forward Mindaugas Kacinas and junior guard Duane Notice added 10 points apiece.
Clemson (7-4) led 13-9 with 13 minutes left in the first half after three straight 3-pointers, but South Carolina hit eight consecutive shots -- including a trio of 3-pointers -- in a 24-1 run to take control as Clemson endured a scoring drought of 8:19.
The Gamecocks made 6-of-10 shots from 3-point range and shot 55.6 from the floor in the first half in building a 41-25 halftime lead.
Clemson, which shot just 29 percent in the opening half, made it close in the second half behind junior forward Jaron Blossomgame, who scored 12 of his game-high 17 points after intermission. Blossomgame also had 11 rebounds.
Clemson cut its deficit to four points, 59-55, on a hook shot by center Landry Nnoko with 4:26 remaining, but the Tigers went cold after that, going scoreless for more than four minutes as South Carolina sealed the win with six points in the final 22 seconds, including four free throws.
Clemson also got 16 points from sophomore forward Donte Grantham and 10 points from senior guard Jordan Roper.
Top Game Performances
South Carolina |
|
Clemson |
Michael Carrera 14 |
Scoring |
Jaron Blossomgame 17 |
Sindarius Thornwell 3 |
Assists |
Jordan Roper 5 |
Sindarius Thornwell 9 |
Rebounds |
Jaron Blossomgame 11 |
Sindarius Thornwell 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Jaron Blossomgame 3 |
PJ Dozier 1 |
Steals |
Jaron Blossomgame 1 |
Michael Carrera 1 |
Blocks |
Landry Nnoko 5 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
South Carolina
|
65 |
43.4 |
8-19 |
11-14 |
12 |
37 |
3 |
3 |
16 |
Clemson
|
59 |
36.5 |
8-26 |
5-9 |
11 |
32 |
8 |
2 |
10 |