Clemson holds off Purdue, wins Space Coast Challenge
Clemson star Aamir Simms scored 24 points to lead the Tigers to an 81-70 victory over Purdue Thursday night in the Space Coast Challenge championship game.
Simms bounced back from a rough outing against Mississippi State on Wednesday due to foul trouble to dominate against the Boilermakers.
The win improves Clemson to 2-0 after the Tigers held off Mississippi State 53-42 on Wednesday.
“I’m really proud of these guys. They battled for two hard days,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “We wore those teams down. That’s what we needed to do and that’s what we were able to do in these two games.”
In addition to playing well offensively, Simms also guarded Purdue big men Trevion Williams and Zach Edey down low, holding his own and limiting Purdue’s success around the basket.
Edey finsihed with 17 points and 8 rebounds, but Clemson didn’t have to double the post much, and Clemson held the Boilermakers to 44.8 percent shooting from the field. The Tigers also forced 22 turnovers.
“He was terrific,” Brownell said of Simms. “He can score in different ways in different spaces. He was outstanding.”
Nick Honor added 17 points for the Tigers, while Jonathan Baehre (11) and Al-Amir Dawes (10) also scored in double figures.
Baehre hit two huge 3-pointers in the second half, including one to give the Tigers back the lead after Purdue had rallied from 13 down to tie the game at 48.
“Big shot. I thought that was a big shot,” Brownell said. “I thought he was a difference maker in the second half. His length is a big advantage for us.”
Purdue was paced by Edey’s 17 points, while Brandon Newman and Isaiah Thompson each added 15. Clemson returns to action Wednesday when it hosts South Carolina State.
“Just really happy for the players because I’ve seen how much they’ve dealt with since the end of last season,” Brownell said. “They’ve been unbelievable.”
Clemson-Purdue basketball box score
PURDUE (1-1): Wheeler 1-4 0-0 2, Williams 4-11 2-2 10, B.Newman 6-14 0-0 15, Stefanovic 2-5 2-2 8, Thompson 6-10 0-0 15, Morton 0-2 0-0 0, Edey 6-8 5-7 17, Gillis 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 26-58 9-11 70.
CLEMSON (2-0): Simms 8-13 6-7 24, Tyson 1-5 0-0 3, Honor 6-10 1-1 17, C.Hunter 0-0 0-0 0, Trapp 4-8 1-2 9, Dawes 3-6 4-4 10, Baehre 4-7 1-1 11, J.Newman 1-5 0-0 2, Prosper 0-2 0-0 0, Hall 2-3 0-0 5, Hemenway 0-0 0-0 0, Kidd 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-59 13-15 81.
Halftime—Clemson 36-28. 3-Point Goals—Purdue 9-21 (Thompson 3-5, B.Newman 3-7, Stefanovic 2-4, Gillis 1-3, Wheeler 0-2), Clemson 10-28 (Honor 4-7, Baehre 2-4, Simms 2-4, Hall 1-2, Tyson 1-5, J.Newman 0-1, Prosper 0-1, Trapp 0-1, Dawes 0-3). Fouled Out—Williams. Rebounds—Purdue 34 (Williams, Edey 8), Clemson 21 (Dawes 5). Assists—Purdue 11 (Morton 5), Clemson 16 (Simms 4). Total Fouls—Purdue 16, Clemson 17.
This story was originally published November 26, 2020 at 10:55 PM.
