GREENVILLE — Clemson never trailed North Carolina Central en route to a 74-40 win on Friday night at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. It was the 31st consecutive year in which the Tigers won their home opener.

Jaron Blossomgame led all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Avry Holmes, playing in his first game at Clemson, and Done Grantham each had 11 points. Sidy Djitte and Gabe DeVoe both came off the bench to chip in with nine.

Landry Nnoko filled the stat sheet with seven points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots.

Clemson held North Carolina Central to 30 percent shooting from the field. The Tigers used a 21-0 run in the opening half and a suffocating defense throughout the game to earn the win over the Eagles in front of 5,742 fans at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. The Well is serving as Clemson’s temporary home while Littlejohn Coliseum undergoes a $63 million renovation.

Head coach Brad Brownell said afterwards he was proud of the strength of play that the Tigers displayed throughout the game.

“We were strong from the beginning, had control of the game and never let (NCCU) take a run,” he said. “I thought our guys executed well and made good decisions. I am proud of the way the guys played tonight.”

The Tigers played aggressive defense all night, holding NCCU to just 17-of-56 shooting from the field. The defense tallied nine total blocks, with Nnoko tied his career high with six. Friday’s game was the first time in two years, to the day, that Clemson held a team to 40 points or less.

Blossomgame ignited the team with his energy and athleticism. He opened up the scoring after catching an alley-oop from Donte Grantham. Blossomgame had two early three-pointers and helped the team open up a 38-16 lead in the first half of play, scoring 16 by himself.

Grantham hit two consecutive three-point field goals which helped the Tigers to 21 consecutive points.

The Tigers took their biggest lead (36-point margin) of the night inside the final minute, after walk-on Lyles Davis had a steal and assist to fellow freshman Ty Hudson. Also turning in a strong second half was Sidy Djitte, who scored a career-high nine points, going 3-for-3 from the floor. Gabe DeVoe scored all nine of his points in the second frame as well.

Clemson returns to action in less than 48 hours. Clemson takes on UT San Antonio on Sunday in Greenville. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at The Well.