BOX SCORE
GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS – With senior guard Marcquise Reed playing the title role with 24 points and nine rebounds, No. 16 Clemson led from wire-to-wire on the way to a 64-49 victory over Georgia in a semifinal game Tuesday at the Cayman Islands Classic.
The Tigers (5-0) remained unbeaten and will advance into the championship game Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET against the winner of the Georgia State-Creighton semifinal game. Georgia (3-2) will play in the third place game at 5 p.m. ET Wednesday against the loser of that other semi.
Reed was one of three Tigers in double figures, and added nine rebounds, three assists and two steals in an all-around winner performance. Fellow senior guard Shelton Mitchel had 13 points and senior Elijah Thomas added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers owned a 43-30 edge on the boards, and limited Georgia’s second chances, allowing just three Bulldog offensive rebounds. Grabbing 11 off the offensive glass, Clemson held an 11-1 edge in second-chance points.
With the victory, Clemson moved to 40-2 all-time under Brownell, when holding opponents to 50 or less points in a games, having won the last 21 of those contests.
“We did a tremendous job executing our defensive plan," said CLemson head coach Brad Bownell. "Tremendous job. It was a great win, but we’re trying to get one more. We need to finish the job, finish our mission.”
Nine different players scored for Georgia, but only Derek Ogbeide was able to reach double figures with 11 on 5-for-9 shooting. Tyree Crump added nine points, six rebounds and a team-high four assists. Nicolas Claxton blocked five shots and grabbed nine rebounds for Georgia, but was held to three points and 1-for-9 shooting.
“I think what we learned yesterday is what happens when you come out as a team,” said Georgia head coach Tom Crean. “When you come out and you play together, you realize you are only as good as your teammates and that is not how we played today. We have a lot of growing up to do, and we will. We have got to get it turned around in a hurry. We have got to go home and get better and get in better shape.”
Clemson never trailed in the first half, jumping up 3-0 in the first 22 seconds as Mitchell hit a quick 3-pointer. The Tigers eventually opened their largest lead of the period with 2:48 to play when a layup by Reed put the Clemson up, 32-19. Reed was the top point-getter in the opening period with 13 points, the lone player in the contest to dent double digits by the intermission.
Georgia pulled within one point, 12-11, on a layup by Crump with 12:45 to play. Eight different players marked digits into the scorebook in the first half for Georgia, topped by Crump with eight.
After Georgia made it a one-point game, Clemson answered with an 8-0 run including layup from Clyde Trapp and back-to-back 3-pointers by Reed and David Skara to make it 20-11.
The Clemson lead stayed in double figures throughout all but one brief stint in the second half as Georgia pulled within eight twice, the last coming at 39-31 on a layup by Tye Fagan with 16:39 to play. Fagan finished with seven points, while Rayshaun Hammonds had seven points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Thomas scored the next four points for Clemson in regaining the double figure advantage which grew to as many as 17 points, 59-42, with 5:08 remaining.
Clemson’s David Skara tied a career high with three steals.