Clemson enjoys easy night against Wolfpack

CLEMSON — Not too long ago, this game looked like a great opportunity to see who was a better fit for third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind North Carolina and Duke.

Now, not so much.

No. 24 Clemson looked every bit like a contender in Tuesday night's 70-54 dusting of North Carolina State at Littlejohn Coliseum. And the Wolfpack, less than a year removed from a stirring run to the ACC Tournament title game, looked like everything but.

Having started their conference slate with an overtime defeat to North Caro-lina and a double-overtime triumph over Florida State, the Tigers were able to breathe easy on this night.

And that was before the second half began. The Wolfpack (11-5, 0-2) was supposed to put up a fight after Saturday's embarrassing 92-63 loss at North Carolina, but this was the same story.

"That's about as close to a breather game as I can remember," said junior wing K.C. Rivers, searching his memory for an easier ACC victory.

Up by 12 late in the first half, the Tigers eliminated any remaining slivers of suspense shortly after halftime and pushed the lead to as great as 23. Clemson improved to 14-3 and 2-1 with Saturday's trip to No. 7 Duke (13-1, 1-0) up next.

"I think it's important every now and then to do that," coach Oliver Purnell said of winning easily. "Because mentally, it can be very tiring to play in a lot of close games."

The Wolfpack entered this season picked third in the ACC, but problems at point guard have derailed those plans. Having lost starter Engin Atsur to graduation, second-year coach Sidney Lowe lost sophomore Farnold Degand to a season-ending knee injury in late December.

That leaves sophomore Marques Johnson, who made his first start Tuesday, and freshman Javier Gonzalez. Clemson turned up the heat on the Wolfpack's backcourt from the start, with the desired results.

Johnson played 20 minutes and was held scoreless, handing out four assists but turning it over four times. Gonzalez played nine minutes and had two turnovers, no points and no assists.

"Not many teams can survive losing a point guard and be OK," Purnell said.

The Wolfpack wasn't just bad at that position. Sophomore forward Brandon Costner, a third-team All-ACC pick last season, was held scoreless for the first time since 2005-06, when he was redshirted after suffering an early-season injury.

Costner had just four points against the Tar Heels. He and veteran Gavin Grant combined for eight of N.C. State's season-high 23 turnovers.

Also, freshman forward J.J. Hickson tied a season low with four points while battling foul trouble and tough interior defense by the Tigers, who had seven blocks.

"Obviously, there was a lot of pressure on the young guys," Lowe said of his point guards. "But I think more important, the other guys didn't step up and help them."

The Tigers, on the other hand, helped themselves with a comprehensive effort. Twenty-one of their 27 baskets were assisted, a testament to unselfishness but also success in transition.

Senior shooting guard Cliff Hammonds (14 points) led four players in double figures while also totaling five assists and zero turnovers.

Sophomore center Trevor Booker had 13 points, adding another 3-pointer after going 3-of-3 from long range in the Florida State victory, and freshman guard Terrence Oglesby had 12 points while going 4-of-8 on 3s.

The long ball put Clemson firmly in command late in the first half. Up 14-11 with seven minutes left, the uninspired Tigers were mired in an ugly game.

Oglesby hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, and Hammonds added another on the next trip down.

Clemson hit three more - two by Rivers and another by Hammonds - before the half was up. The Tigers finished 10-of-25 on 3-pointers after going 13-of-24 three days earlier against the Seminoles.

Purnell hopes the long-range success sends a strong message that opponents can be punished for devoting their efforts to limiting the Tigers' formidable post presence.

"People are really going to have to pick their poison if we're as efficient as we were today," Purnell said.

Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com.