Tigers roll over S.C. State, run win streak to five

Jaron Blossomgame scored a season-high 29 points to lift Clemson to a 93-65 victory over S.C. State on Tuesday to increase the Tigers’ win streak to five games.

The Tigers (7-2) shook off a sluggish first half to outscore the Bulldogs by 29 points in the second half.

Shelton Mitchell scored 14 points and Donte Grantham added 13 for Clemson, which shot 52 percent in the second half.

The Bulldogs (2-8) shot 52 percent and got 20 points from Eric Eaves, but they lost for the seventh time in the past eight games.

S.C. State stayed in the game in the first 20 minutes and trailed by nine at halftime. The Tigers held a 10-point lead four minutes into the second half before they went on 12-4 run to go up 18 after a Gabe DeVoe 3-pointer with 13:05 to play.

The Bulldogs would crawl back within 12, but another Clemson run pushed the lead to 20 after a Grantham dunk with 9:47 left in the game.

BIG PICTURE

S.C. State: Playing its eighth game of the season away from home, S.C. State lost by at least 20 points for the fifth time already.

Clemson: The Tigers haven’t been as pleased with their defensive performance this season, especially around the rim, but they'll be getting a help in their next game with that. Elijah Thomas, a transfer from Texas A&M, will become eligible, and the 6-foot-9, 230-pound sophomore should make an immediate impact.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 8:26 AM with the headline "Tigers roll over S.C. State, run win streak to five."