Field Level Media
Nov 21, 2019
Al-Amir Dawes scored a career-high 19 points as Clemson rolled past Alabama A&M 87-51 in a non-conference game Thursday night at Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum in South Carolina.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for Clemson (4-1) following a season-opening loss against Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia Tech.
The Bulldogs of the Southwest Athletic Conference slipped to 0-5 and have been outscored by an average margin of 29.2 points this season.
Dawes, a freshman guard from Newark, N.J., made 7-of-11 shots from the floor, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range.
Graduate guard Tevin Mack added 16 points while sophomore forward Hunter Tyson and sophomore Trey Jemison scored 10 points apiece.
Clemson never trailed and took control early, pulling away from an 11-7 lead with a 23-0 run and expanding its lead to 35 points, 54-19, by halftime.
Clemson's 54 first-half points were the most ever scored by the Tigers in coach Brad Brownell's 10 seasons. The Tigers' previous high for first-half points under Brownell was 51 points in 2016 against Coppin State and matched again last season against Pittsburgh.
Clemson shot a blistering 62 percent from the floor in the first half, including 59 percent from 3-point range. The Tigers made 10 of 17 shots from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes.
Brandon Miller, a junior guard, was the lone player in double figures for Alabama A&M. He scored 17 points, including 14 in the second half, and made 5 of 10 3-pointers.
The Bulldogs shot a decent 40 percent from 3-point range but made 33.9 percent overall.
Clemson dominated play inside. Jemison, a 7-foot center, had a career-high four blocked shots and the taller Tigers outscored the Bulldogs 40-16 in the paint and won the rebounding margin by a 40-32 differential.
The competition promises to get a bit more challenging for Clemson soon. Up next for Clemson is the MGM Main Event Tournament in Las Vegas, where the Tigers will open play on Sunday against TCU, with the winner facing either Colorado or Wyoming. Clemson will then play at Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 2.
--Field Level Media