Clemson vs. Duke Postgame Notes

TEAM

Clemson defeated No. 13 Duke by a score of 72-59 on Saturday to move to 11-4 overall and 2-1 in the ACC.
The win was Clemson’s first over the Blue Devils since 2008-09, when the Tigers knocked off a fourth-ranked Duke team 74-47 in Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson’s win Saturday was its first over a ranked opponent since the Tigers defeated No. 22 Virginia 60-48 on Feb. 14, 2012. The Tigers had lost their last seven games against nationally-ranked teams.
With the win, Clemson earned its 18^th win over Duke in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Blue Devils still lead the series in the arena, 23-18.
Saturday’s win was the first for Head Coach Brad Brownell over a Duke or North Carolina team. Clemson’s fourth-year mentor was 0-10 against the two powerhouses prior to Saturday.
Clemson surpassed its first half point total from the previous game (16) in the first 10 minutes Saturday.
The Tiger defense held Duke to 59 points, a season-low for the high-scoring Blue Devils who averaged 84.3 per game entering Saturday.
Duke shot 32 percent (8-for-25) from three, its lowest accuracy figure from behind the arc since a Nov. 29 game against current No. 1 ranked Arizona.
Clemson’s +18 rebound margin (48-30) was its second-highest in 111 games under Brownell. The biggest was +19 over Coastal Carolina earlier this season.
Saturday’s win was Clemson’s 498^th as a program in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers are 498-184 in the facility that opened in 1968.
With Saturday’s performance, Clemson has now overcome a pair of halftime deficits this season. The Tigers trailed by six at the half, 37-31.
Clemson overcame a 10-point deficit Saturday. It was the third time this season the Tigers were down by double figures but found a way to win (Temple, SC State). The Tigers last overcame three double digit deficits in the same season in 2010-11, Brownell’s first season at Clemson.
The Tigers scored over 70 points Saturday, the seventh time this season with 70 or more. Clemson only had six 70+ games all of last season (31 games).
One game after being outscored 44-16 in the paint by Florida State, Clemson reversed the trend and beat Duke 38-20 by the same measure Saturday.
In Clemson’s win over Duke today the Tigers had three players with double-doubles. It is the first time Clemson has had three players with double-doubles in the same game since Feb. 13, 1985 when Horace Grant (24-12), Vincent Hamilton (21-10) and Raymond Jones (10-15) all had double-doubles in an 80-65 win over Wake Forest at Littlejohn Coliseum.
This was the first time Clemson has had three double figure rebounders in a game since Nov. 28, 2000 when Adam Allenspach (12), Dustin Braddick (10) and Chris Hobbs (10) were all in double figures in a win over Northwestern at Clemson.

INDIVIDUAL

K.J. McDaniels scored a game-high 24 points Saturday, his seventh game of at least 20 points this season.
McDaniels added 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
Landry Nnoko also recorded his third double-double of the season, with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Nnoko’s 10 were a career-high against an ACC opponent.
Nnoko matched his career-high with six offensive rebounds Saturday.
Jaron Blossomgame tallied his first career double-double. The red-shirt freshman posted 14 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
It surpassed his previous scoring high of nine points vs. UMass on Nov. 24.
Blossomgame’s previous rebound high was nine earlier this season against Davidson on Nov. 22.
Blossomgame played 35 minutes against Duke, besting his previous high of 31 earlier this season at Auburn.
Rod Hall posted 11 points, all in the second half, to record his 10^th double digit scoring effort of the season. He entered 2013-14 with just four such efforts in 62 career games.
Hall had four assists and one turnover in 37 minutes and now has a 32-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio at home this season.