Clemson uses second-half onslaught to take care of Wake Forest

Whatever happened in the Clemson locker room at halftime may need to become a more common occurrence.

The Tigers used a season-high 56 points in the second half to turn an 8-point halftime deficit into a 14-point margin of victory in a must-win road game at Wake Forest.

The 76-62 win moved Clemson to 7-3 in the ACC and 14-8 overall.

Clemson jumped out to an 11-2 lead to open the game but was tentative and out of sync offensively for the rest of the half — making just two baskets in the final 15 minutes — and allowed the Demon Deacons to storm back and take a 28-20 lead into the break.

The Tigers scored the first 11 points of the second half, however, and never looked back, posting their highest point total in a half this season just 15 minutes after posting their lowest.

Jaron Blossomgame led the way once again with 22 points and 13 rebounds, becoming the first Clemson player to score at least 20 points in five straight ACC games since Horace Grant.

Clemson threw caution to the wind in the second half and attacked the Wake Forest defense relentlessly, scoring baskets and repeatedly earning trips to the free-throw line — where it made a sparkling 26 of 30 attempts.

Avry Holmes added 17 points for the Tigers and buried three 3-pointers in the second half to help fuel the comeback.

Jordan Roper scored all 16 of his points after intermission while Donte Grantham chipped in 15, as four players scored all but six of Clemson's points.

Clemson finishes a three-game road stint when it faces Virginia Tech on Saturday at 4 p.m.