Forward Elijah Thomas set career highs with 17 points and 15 rebounds and forward Donte Grantham added 20 points in Clemson's 81-76 victory over Ohio in the first round of the Charleston Classic on Thursday at the TD Arena.

Thomas and Grantham made 12 of 19 shots from the field as the Tigers (3-0) controlled play inside. Clemson had a 35-28 rebounding edge and scored 38 points in the paint.

Thomas had his third career double-double.

Guard Shelton Mitchell had 16 points and five assists and guard Marcquise Reed added 12 points for the Tigers.

Guard Gavin Block had 22 points and 10 rebounds and made six 3-pointers for Ohio (1-1), which made a late run and got within four points after trailing by 16 with just under eight minutes remaining.

Block's 3-pointer with 36.3 seconds remaining made it 76-72, but the Tigers hit 5 of 6 free throws after that to hold on.

Ohio guard Jordan Dartis had 18 points, including 16 in the first half. Mike Laster had 13 points.

Shelton Mitchell's 3-pointer with one minute remaining in the first half gave the Tigers a 42-38 halftime lead.

Clemson opened the second half on a 14-5 run. Grantham had two baskets and two free throws and DeVoe made a 3-pointer during that stretch.

Clemson led by 16 when Reed's 3-pointer made it 63-47 with 7:38 remaining as Ohio went five minutes without a field goal.

Clemson will meet the winner of the Dayton-Hofstra game in the second round of the eight-team Charleston Classic on Friday. Ohio will play the loser.

The championship game is Sunday.