Tigers Roll Over Gophers In ACC-Big 10 Challenge |
Clemson dominated the offensive boards, used an effective full-court press and got better reserve play Wednesday night in beating Minnesota 90-68. K.C. Rivers scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Tigers, and Clemson's reserves outscored Minnesota's reserves 40-5. Vernon Hamilton added 13 points and Cliff Hammonds 12 for Clemson (8-0), which has won its first eight games for the third time in the past five years, including an 11-0 start last year. James Mays added 11 points and 10 rebounds while Trevor Booker also had 11 points. Dan Coleman scored 18 points for Minnesota (2-5), which lost its fifth straight game - the Gophers longest losing streak since a six-game skid during the 1962-63 season. Brandon Smith added 15 points, Lawrence McKenzie 14 and Spencer Tollackson 11. Clemson held a 43-22 rebounding edge, including 24-5 on the offensive end. The Gophers shot 72.7 percent in the first half but took only 22 shots, in part because of 12 first-half turnovers. Many of them were caused by an inability to get the ball up the court with the Tigers - particularly Mays and Hamilton - harassing Minnesota guards. Minnesota, which had 51 turnovers in its last three losses, finished with a season-high 24 turnovers.
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