Sophomore forward T.J. Warren takes a shot against UNC Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. The Wolfpack fell to the Tar Heels 84-70 after the Wolfpack failed to recover from a 17 point deficit at the end of the first half. Photo by Chris Rupert
Junior guard Rod Hall led the Tigers in scoring with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting and Clemson used a huge second half to turn a close game into a rout, dispatching visiting N.C. State, 73-56, on Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C.
It was the Pack’s second straight loss after falling in a close contest against No. 1 Syracuse Saturday night.
Sophomore forward T.J. Warren had 20 points for the Pack, shooting 8-for-15 from the floor and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. The sophomore also grabbed five rebounds and notched two steals.
Hall also grabbed three rebounds and dished out two assists for Clemson. Junior guard Damarcus Harrison added 14 points for the Tigers.
The Wolfpack (16-10 overall, 6-7 ACC) hurt its chances of staying in contention for a first round bye in the ACC Tournament. With this second straight loss, the Pack has also hurt its chances on building an impressive resume for the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers started off strong, jumping out to an early 7-0 lead. Junior guard Ralston Turner saved the Wolfpack from a horrendous shooting start by sinking two three-point shots, keeping the Pack in the game.
N.C. State got a lift off the bench from two freshmen, forward Beejay Anya and guard Anthony “Cat” Barber.
Anya scored eight points in the contest and hit all four of his shots attempts. He also had had an early block that sent the ball into the Clemson student section. His defensive presence in the first half helped N.C. State crawl its way back into the game even when senior center Jordan Vandenburg faced early foul trouble.
Barber gave N.C. State another threat on the floor that Clemson had to respect. Though the freshman only scored two points, shooting 1-for-5, his dribble penetration created opportunities for other players. Barber dished out five assist in the game.
The Wolfpack inched its way back into the game and grabbed the lead before halftime on a jumper by Warren. At the half, N.C. State led 33-32, but it was all downhill from there.
After halftime, the Tigers turned on the jets, jumping out to a 48-37 lead by the 13:57 mark in the second half.
Hall had his way in the second half. The Wolfpack attempted to play a box-and-one zone defense to prevent junior forward K.J. McDaniels from having his way offensively, but Hall took advantage of this and relentlessly attacked the basket with all of his points coming in the paint.
McDaniels, the Tigers’ leading scorer, finished with 12 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field. The high-flying junior grabbed six rebounds and had six monstrous blocks, including one on T.J. Warren on a fast break attempt.
In addition to its starting five, Clemson also got a lift from its bench players.
Sophomore center Landry Nnoko had nine points on 3-of-4 shooting. The sophomore had six rebounded and three blocks. Sophomore guard Adonis Filer had seven points shooting 2-for-7 and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc.
After the loss, N.C. State likely has to win out if it has any chances of making it to the NCAA Tournament in March. The Wolfpack travels to Virginia Tech to take on the Hokies in a must-win game in Blacksburg, Va., on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.