The Clemson Tigers (14-11, 4-9) defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (15-11, 6-8) 95-83 at Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday (Feb. 14) night. The Tigers, who completed a season sweep of the Deacs, were led by shooting guard Marcquise Reed, as the hot shot guard scored a team-high 21 points off of the bench.
The Tigers dominated from the start, clicking offensively throughout. With 10 three-pointers, Clemson could not be contained beyond the arc on the night. Forward Jaron Blossomgame was outstanding on both ends of the floor for the Tigers, accruing a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. In the Clemson backcourt, Avry Holmes and Shelton Mitchell both had solid games from the field, with each scoring 15 points.
Clemson shot well overall, hitting over 50 percent of its shots from the field. The Tigers were successful in drawing fouls, too, and went 27-35 at the charity stripe. Defensively, the Tigers were solid in the first half, holding Wake Forest to 32 points. The second half was a different story, however, as the Demon Deacons cut a 21-point deficit to six late in the second half. The Tigers staved off the Wake Forest run, though, and came away victorious.
Wake Forest was effectively a two-man show on the evening, with sophomores John Collins and Bryant Crawford scoring 29 and 25 points, respectively, to lead the way for the Demon Deacons. They were the only two Wake Forest players to reach double figures.
Although Reed was the player of the game for the Tigers, the X factor was big man Legend Robertin, who stepped up with the Clemson frontcourt embattled by foul issues. His 13 minutes on the floor were very impactful and helped spark the Tigers in what was a fairly emotional game. There were a few chippy moments in the matchup, with a flagrant foul and a couple of technicals to show for it. The Tigers were able to calm the storm, though, and earned a hard-fought victory to end a three-game losing skid.
Next up for Clemson is a road test against the Miami Hurricanes (16-8, 6-6) on Saturday, Feb. 18 at noon. The Tigers, who are currently a bubble team, will be looking to strengthen their NCAA Tournament résumé with a win.