Clemson shuts down Rajin' Cajuns for 7th straight win 89-60
CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson's defensive resurgence continued Friday as the Tigers put the clamps on high-scoring Louisiana in an 89-60 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson's Donte Grantham scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while point guard Shelton Mitchell added 15 points, six assists and five rebounds in the Tigers' seventh consecutive win.
The Tigers (11-1), known for their stingy defense under coach Brad Brownell, took a step back in that category a year ago and allowed 71.4 points per game, the most in the Brownell era.
The Ragin' Cajuns (10-3) came into the game averaging 88.6 points per game, which ranked 13th nationally, but they hit just 28 percent of their field-goal attempts, totaled 28 first-half points and were held to their lowest scoring output of the season.
Louisiana transfer Marcus Stroman, a former South Carolina guard, led the team with 16 points. Frank Bartley added 14 points and six rebounds for Louisiana.
Charleston outlasts Coastal Carolina 67-65 behind Riller
CONWAY, S.C. -- Grant Riller tossed in 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting and Jarrell Brantley hit four straight free throws in the final 13 seconds to help Charleston hold off Coastal Carolina 67-65 on Friday.
Joe Chealey added 14 points and Cameron Johnson scored 11 for the Cougars (9-3), who beat the Chanticleers (6-7) for the 16th time in the last 17 games and lead the all-time series 36-13.
Zac Cuthbertson paced Coastal Carolina with 19 points, Jaylen Shaw added 12 points and six assists and reserves Demario Beck and Artur Labinowicz scored 10 each.
Riller scored nine in a game-opening 12-4 run for the Cougars, but Coastal Carolina answered with a 12-2 spurt to regain the lead. The game featured 10 ties and 17 lead changes. Shaw's two free throws with one second left in the first half gave the Chanticleers a 27-26 lead.
Charleston took the lead for good on Johnson's 3-pointer with 13:43 remaining. Beck's dunk pulled the Chanticleers within a point with 1:14 left, but Johnson hit 1 of 2 free throws and Brantley, a Colonial Athletic Association first-teamer last season who was playing in just his second game of the season because of a knee injury, hit 4 of 4 at the foul line for the victory.
ETSU shoots past former SoCon rival Georgia Southern 79-59
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Devontavius Payne scored 15 points and Peter Jurkinand Jalan McCloud each contributed 14 as East Tennessee State pulled away in the second half against Georgia Southern for a 79-59 victory Friday night.
It was the first meeting between the former rivals and first since the 2004-05 season, the Eagles' final season in the Southern Conference before moving to the Sun Belt.
ETSU (8-4), which now has won six of its last seven, shot 29-for-30 from the floor (48.3 percent) and 9 of 21 from long range, used a solid, 41-30 advantage on the boards to control the game. Payne led the way, hitting 4 of 8 from the field, 4 of 7 from behind the three-point arc. McCloud contributed six rebounds and five assists off the ETSU bench.
Tookie Brown had 24 points to lead Georgia Southern (9-4).
Bruce, Lindsey lead Arkansas State to 99-68 romp
JONESBORO, Ark. -- Tamas Bruce scored 16 points, Rashad Lindsey added 15 and seven players scored in double figures as Arkansas State defeated NAIA member Culver-Stockton 99-68 Friday night.
The Red Wolves (5-8) shot 36-for-65 from the floor (55 percent), recorded 14 steals, and scored 29 points off 20 Culver-Stockton turnovers. Arkansas State dominated with size and depth, outscoring the Wildcats 42-18 in the paint and 53-13 in points off the bench.
Marquis Eaton added 14 points, Connor Kern 12, Grantham Gillard 11 and Ty Cockfield and Andrew Riley had 10 each for the Red Wolves. Deven Simms made four steals and dished six assists for Arkansas State.
Mike Johnson led Culver-Stockton (3-9) with 17 points, Cullen Smith added 16 and Thaddeus Newby 14. The Wildcats shot 44 percent (25 of 55) and were outrebounded 35-28.
Pearson, Texas State hand Rice 3rd straight defeat 74-66
HOUSTON -- Nijal Pearson pumped in 18 points and Immanuel King added 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Texas State closed out its nonconference schedule by handing Rice its third straight defeat, beating the Owls 74-66 on Friday night.
Rice now has lost six of its last seven games and is 2-4 on its home court after dropping games to Eastern Kentucky, Georgia State and Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
Pearson knocked down a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left to give Texas State a 33-31 lead, but Miles Lester hit a jumper with one second left to send the teams into intermission tied at 33-33. King hit a jumper with 16:06 left in the game to spark a 10-3 Texas State run that put the Bobcats in front for good.
Marlin Davis added 15 points for Texas State (7-6) and the Bobcats were 21 of 28 from the free throw line.
Connor Cashaw scored 15 points and Miles Lester added another 11 for Rice (3-10).