Men’s Hoops Downs Furman, 67-54

December 26, 1998

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Harold Jamison pays attention to everything at practice, even his teammates’ missed shots.

“I’ve been playing with these guys for three years,” Jamison said. “I can see when they shoot it by the rotation where it’s going to come off. I’m able to read all that.”

And that’s what Jamison said helped him grab 16 rebounds and score 16 points in No. 16 Clemson’s 67-54 victory over Furman Saturday.

Jamison, who leads the Tigers in shooting percentage (.778) and rebounding, seemed to be near every loose ball. He had 12 rebounds by halftime and shot 7-of-10 – most from 3 feet or less – as Clemson (11-1) won its eighth straight game and 23rd in a row over the Paladins (6-4).

“He lives off the offensive rebounds,” Furman coach Larry Davis said. “He’s smart. He knows when the ball is shot and goes and gets the rebound. That’s a good player.”

Jamison’s bulk – he was recruited for football as a defensive end – and accuracy has given Clemson a second option when star point guard Terrell McIntyre gets bottled up.

McIntyre scored 13 points, but made only two baskets and none until nearly halfway through the second half.

“We don’t worry about our offense,” McIntyre said. “We let our offense come to us through our defense.”

That’s what the Tigers needed after Furman cut an 11-point lead to 43-41 on Kyle Julius’ 3-pointer with 12:21 left. But Jamison’s short putback began a 22-4 run that lasted for nearly 10 minutes.

Vincent Whitt had seven points and McIntyre added his only two baskets during the streak.

The Paladins couldn’t slow the bigger and stronger Tigers, especially when leading scorer Stanislav Makshantsev picked up two fouls in the game’s first six minutes. Starter Daniel Quigley and sixth man Will Coles both fouled out midway through the second half.

Makshantsev scored 18 points, but most after the game was out of reach. Furman shot only 19 of 56 (33.9 percent) for the game, the second straight opponent Clemson has held below 40 percent from the field.

“The difference in our teams is that Clemson has two or three great athletes and we have good athletes, not great,” Davis said.

Jamison has been a force for Clemson beneath the basket. He went 8-of-8 and scored 19 points when Clemson beat South Carolina State 72-47.

His double 16s were the third time he’s hit for double-figure points and rebounds in the same game this season.

The game was the first in the $63 million Bi-Lo Center, which opened in September and has been announced as a regional site for the 2002 NCAA tournament.

In the first half, consecutive 3-pointers by P.J. Brown and Bubba Smith gave Furman a 16-15 lead with 9:49 to go and the Paladins stayed close despite hitting only 8 of 23 shots in the half.

But the Tigers closed with an 8-0 run to lead 32-26 at the half. McIntyre hit three free throws and Johnny Miller made three foul shots after a pair of Clemson steals in the final 1:10.