|
Brandon Evans goes up for two of his 17 points in Friday night's game against No. 22 Clemson. (UNCG photo)
|
PHOTO GALLERY
GREENSBORO, N.C. - No. 22 Clemson went on a 17-2 run to close out the final 5:30 of the first half and the Tigers went on to an 89-67 win over UNC Greensboro on Friday night in front of 5,672 fans in the Greensboro Coliseum.
The game marked the home opener for the Spartans this season in their new arena, moving from the campus venue of Fleming Gym.
The Spartans had 23 turnovers to mark the second-consecutive game with 20 or more turnovers. Brandon Evans led UNCG in scoring with 17 points, while Ben Stywall added 13 points and six rebounds.
Senior Mikko Koivisto hit a 3-pointer for his first basket of the evening with 5:29 remaining to pull UNCG (0-3) within 25-22. A Jerai Grant dunk sandwiched around 3-pointers by Tanner Smith and David Potter gave Clemson a 33-22 lead and Andre Young added six points during the run to close out the half.
Trevor Booker paced the visiting Tigers (3-0) with 17 points and nine rebounds to nearly record his second double in three games this season. Milton Jennings added 14 for Clemson and Andre Young also chipped in 13. The Tigers led by as many as 31 in the second half.
The Spartans began the game on a good note as Kyle Randall's 3-pointer gave UNCG a 3-2 lead. A pair of free throws by Stywall, two of 10 made free throws for UNCG in the half, put the home side ahead 11-10 seven minutes into the game. The Spartans missed 10 of their first 11 from the field, and still found themselves hanging with the 22nd-ranked team in the nation.
A layup by Evans tied the game at 15-all midway through the first half, but that was as close as the Spartans would get the rest of the night. The Tigers responded by going on a 6-0 run before finishing the half on their 17-2 run. UNCG missed 11 of their final 14 shots in the half, shooting just 22 percent in the opening frame.
The Spartans continued to battle in the second half as they shot 54.8 percent and began to go inside, scoring 24 of their 32 points in the paint during the half.
Evans also scored 11 of his 17 points in the game after the break as he made four of his six field goals in the game, including his long 3-pointer.
The Spartans will return to the floor on Tuesday evening as they travel to USC Upstate for a 7 p.m. contest.
AGATE
Clemson 89, UNC Greensboro 67
CLEMSON (3-0)
Trevor Booker 7-14 3-4 17; Milton Jennings 5-6 2-2 14; Andre Young 4-5 3-3 13; David Potter 4-9 0-0 11; Tanner Smith 4-8 0-1 9; Jerai Grant 4-4 1-2 9; Demontez Stitt 2-6 0-1 4; Noel Johnson 2-6 0-0 4; Devin Booker 2-2 0-0 4; Catalin Baciu 1-2 0-0 2; Karolis Petrukonis 1-1 0-0 2; Donte Hill 0-1 0-0 0; Bryan Narcisse 0-1 0-0 0; Zavier Anderson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 36-66 9-13 89.
UNC GREENSBORO (0-3)
Brandon Evans 6-10 4-4 17; Ben Stywall 4-7 5-8 13; Kyle Randall 3-10 0-0 7; Mikko Koivisto 1-7 4-4 7; Pete Brown 2-6 2-4 6; Korey Van Dussen 2-7 0-0 4; Brian Cole 2-4 0-0 4; Elhanan Bone 1-1 2-2 4; Montel Smith 1-2 0-0 3; Darrius Sellers 1-1 0-0 2; Deangelo Jackson 0-0 0-0 0; Kendall Toney 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 23-58 17-22 67.
Halftime: Clemson 42-24. 3-point goals--Clemson 8-17 (David Potter 3-5; Andre Young 2-3; Milton Jennings 2-3; Tanner Smith 1-2; Noel Johnson 0-2; Demontez Stitt 0-2), UNC Greensboro 4-13 (Mikko Koivisto 1-4; Kyle Randall 1-2; Brandon Evans 1-2; Montel Smith 1-1; Kendall Toney 0-3; Korey Van Dussen 0-1). Fouled out--Clemson-None, UNC Greensboro-None. Rebounds--Clemson 35 (Trevor Booker 9), UNC Greensboro 37 (Ben Stywall 6). Assists--Clemson 14 (Demontez Stitt 5), UNC Greensboro 9 (Korey Van Dussen 2; Pete Brown 2). Total fouls--Clemson 17, UNC Greensboro 17. Technical fouls--Clemson-None, UNC Greensboro-None. A-5672
FREE THROWS: Mikko Koivisto now has a three-pointer in 14 consecutive games... UNCG is now 0-24 all-time against ranked teams... Clemson has won 29 straight games in the month of November dating back to 2004... The Tigers have won 11 straight non-conference road games... after starting the game 1-for-11 from the floor, UNCG made 22 of its final 47 from the field to close out the game.