Clemson knocks off No. 22 South Carolina 62-60

Jaron Blossomgame posted his second double-double of the season and got plenty of help off the bench as Clemson used a late 6-0 run to knock off No. 22 South Carolina in Columbia on Wednesday night.

Blossomgame led the way for the Tigers with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but he didn’t get much help scoring the ball from his fellow starters. Fortunately, Marquise Reed and Elijah Thomas chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench to give Clemson just enough offense to edge the Gamecocks on the road 62-60.

P.J. Dozier posted a career-high 26 points for South Carolina, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Tigers.

Donte Grantham scored all 8 of his points in the first half as Clemson pulled ahead 29-25 at the break, with Thomas providing plenty of early scoring punch as well.

South Carolina opened the second half with a 6-0 spurt to take the lead, and the game was a back-and-forth affair from there.

Clemson began to rack up fouls early in the half, to the point where the Gamecocks reached the bonus with around 12 minutes remaining. It looked like the Tigers were in trouble.

But then Reed - who had just 2 points thus far - took over, scoring 12 points in that final 12 minutes including two free throws with 52 seconds left to give Clemson a lead it would not relinquish.

Avry Holmes made 3 of 4 free throws after that, and Dozier missed a three on the game’s final possession as the Tigers escaped with their biggest win yet this season.

Clemson will host UNC Wilmington on Wednesday, Dec. 28, before opening ACC play.