National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Clemson 75, N.C. State 61
When: 12:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Officials: # Sean Hull, # Tim Nestor, # Raymond Styons
Attendance: N/A

Jaron Blossomgame and Shelton Mitchell scored 22 points apiece as 12th-seeded Clemson defeated 13th-seeded North Carolina State 75-61 in the first game of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday afternoon at Barclays Center in New York.

Clemson (17-14), which has won three games in a row, will play fifth-seeded Duke (23-8) in Wednesday's second round.

Elijah Thomas added 10 points and Sidy Djitte pulled in 13 rebounds for the Tigers, who kept alive their hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid.

The Wolfpack (15-17) won only one game since late January. The tournament outing marks the last game for NC State coach Mark Gottfried, who was fired late last month but allowed to complete the season with the team.

Maverick Rowan and Abdul-Malik Abu each scored 14 points for NC State, which ended up with an 8-6 ACC Tournament record in Gottfried's six seasons. Terry Henderson added 10 points.

Heralded freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. was limited to seven points for the Wolfpack. He might be headed to the NBA draft, and if so his college career ended on 3-for-12 shooting (0-for-4 on 3-point attempts).

The Tigers held a double-figure lead for most of the second half, extending the margin to 63-47 with about seven minutes remaining.

After two baskets in the game's opening minute, the Wolfpack went almost 10 minutes without a field goal.

Blossomgame had 14 points at the half as the Tigers held a 39-28 lead at the break.

Clemson shot 42.6 percent from the field. NC State was charged with 15 turnovers.

NC State hadn't played since last Wednesday's loss at Clemson.
Top Game Performances
 
N.C. State   Clemson
Abdul-Malik Abu 14 Scoring Jaron Blossomgame 22
Dennis Smith Jr. 3 Assists Shelton Mitchell 6
Abdul-Malik Abu 8 Rebounds Sidy Djitte 13
Terry Henderson 5 Free Throws Made Jaron Blossomgame 3
Dennis Smith Jr. 2 Steals Marcquise Reed 2
Abdul-Malik Abu 1 Blocks Sidy Djitte 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
N.C. State 61 38.0 5-17 18-26 7 35 4 2 15
Clemson 75 42.6 7-21 10-15 13 34 3 6 9