Clemson came out with a ton of energy in its 82-69 victory over Pittsburgh Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Led by guards Shelton Mitchell and Marcquise Reed, the Tigers grabbed an early 22-5 lead and never looked back. Mitchell scored 11 of his 14 points during that stretch.
Clemson (12-8, 2-5 ACC) went on runs of 8-0 and 14-0 to open the game. Reed led the Tigers with 26 points, while Mitchell finished with 14 points and 5 assists.
Clemson head coach Brad Brownell was pleased with how his players approached the game despite the tough loss at NC State this past Saturday.
“We played like a team that really wanted to play well and was focused,” he said. “We did a lot of good things in the first half. Our defense was good. We got our hands on balls.”
The Tigers totaled 30 rebounds and had 17 assists. They also has seven blocks and four steals.
Sophomore guard Clyde Trapp came off the bench and scored a career-high 16 points as well.
“Our guys have a lot of pride. They are trying,” Brownell said. “We’ve competed hard in several games and just have not quite been able to get it done. That’s the challenge…to keep competing. And to stay together when it doesn’t feel like it’s as easy to. Our guys have done that.”
Watch Brownell’s postgame press conference on TCITV:
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