Blossomgame leads Clemson past Wofford 66-51

The adage suggests that “it’s not how you start, but how you finish.”

Sunday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, however, it was an excellent start that allowed the Clemson men’s basketball team to finish off Wofford.

The Tigers (6-2) raced out to a 20-2 lead over the Terriers (4-4), and held off a second-half charge in a 66-51 victory.

“I thought it was spurred by our defense,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said of the early scoring binge. “I thought we were a little bit disruptive early. We did a good job not letting them just go right to (6-6 forward) Justin Gordon. Getting him in foul trouble helped us.”

Jaron Blossomgame came up big for the home away from home team, netting a game-high 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting and pulling down 10 rebounds for a double-double.

“(Brownell) brought me into the office and talked to me about some things I can do better on the court, how I could get more involved in the game,” Blossomgame said. “And I’m trying to be more involved with rebounding and shooting.”

Donte Grantham chipped in 11 points and Avry Holmes scored 10 for the winners.

Spencer Collins led Wofford with 16 points and Fletcher Magee finished with 10.

The showdown was one-sided early, with Brownell’s club setting the tone quickly with three consecutive dunks and Mike Young’s crew having trouble dealing with the Tiger defense.

“This is a tough man’s game and Clemson got right up under our chin,” said Young, who has led his team to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and four in the last six years. “This was uncharacteristic of Wofford and our teams.”

The second half was a different story, with Wofford getting as close as six before Clemson made a late surge and pulled away.

This story was originally published December 6, 2015 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Blossomgame leads Clemson past Wofford 66-51."