Clemson rides hot start to win at Pittsburgh

Clemson couldn’t afford a loss, and the Tigers made sure from the get-go that wouldn’t be an issue.

They scored the game’s first 10 points, made their first five three-point attempts, and led by 22 at halftime on their way to a season sweep of Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

Clemson put together a workmanlike effort, holding the Panthers to just 27 percent shooting and spreading the wealth on offense.

Marcquise Reed led the Tigers with 14 points, while Eli Thomas and Shelton Mitchell chipped in 12 and 10, respectively. Thomas posted team highs in rebounds (8) and assists (5).

The game played out in strikingly similar fashion to Clemson’s home win over Pittsburgh a month prior, with the Tigers again amassing a sizable lead early and keeping the Panthers at arm’s length for the remainder of the game.

Clemson assisted on 18 of its 22 made field goals, and six different players made at least one three.

The Tigers got a nice boost off the bench from Hunter Tyson, who made 3 of his 5 attempts from beyond the arc in the best performance of his freshman season.

Clemson improved to 17-11 overall and 7-8 in the ACC. The Tigers host North Carolina on Saturday night.