Pack Falls to Clemson in ACC Opener

Saturday, December 30

Clemson, SC

4:00 PM

NC State

10-4 (0-1ACC)

Clemson

12-1 (1-0ACC)

NC State

Clemson

12/30/2017 6:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Beverly leads NC State with 15 points in his first ACC contest

Clemson, S.C. – Clemson used a 13-2 run at the end of the first half to push itself into a lead it would never relinquish as NC State lost its ACC opener to the Tigers, 78-62, on Saturday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum.

With the loss, NC State falls to 10-4, 0-1 in the ACC, while Clemson improves to 12-1, 1-0 in the ACC.

The Pack led by as many as six points in the first half and held a 22-20 lead after two Abdul-Malik Abu free throws with 5:10 left in the half, but could only manage two points in the final five minutes of the half as Clemson's 13-2 run gave the Tigers a 33-24 lead at halftime.

NC State closed within six points on three different occasions in the first four minutes of the second half, but Clemson went on another 11-point run, this time a 14-3 streak, to push the lead to 19 points, 62-43, with 8:28 to effectively put the game out of reach.

Braxton Beverly led the Pack in scoring for the first time this season, scoring a team-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Omer Yurtseven posted his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He added a career-high tying five blocked shots. Allerik Freeman was the only other Pack player to reach double figures in scoring, finishing with 14 points. Torin Dorn finished with seven points and 10 rebounds.

The Pack entered the game an ACC-best +60 in turnover margin, but were -5 in turnover margin on Saturday and Clemson outscored NC State, 24-10, in points off turnovers.

NC State outrebounded Clemson 45-40 and had a 14-9 advantage in offensive rebounds, but the Tigers outscored the Pack in the paint, 42-22.

NC State returns to action Wednesday when it travels to Notre Dame to face the Fighting Irish (11-3, 1-0). The game is scheduled to begin a 9:06 p.m. and will be televised on the ACC Network.