National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Clemson 53, Florida State 49
When: 3:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 1, 2014
Where: Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Florida
Officials: # Sean Hull, # Bernard Clinton, # Roger Ayers
Attendance: 9752

Clemson 53, Florida State 49: K.J. McDaniels scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half as the visiting Tigers shook off a cold-shooting first half to snap a two-game losing streak.

McDaniels hit 9-of-18 shots for Clemson (14-6, 5-3 ACC), going 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Jaron Blossomgame added 10 points, all in the second half, as the Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak in the series.

Aaron Thomas scored 13 points to lead the Seminoles (13-8, 4-5), who lost leading scorer Ian Miller to a sprained left ankle in the first half. Florida State finished 1-for-8 from 3-point range and shot 34 percent overall.

McDaniels scored 10 of Clemson’s first 12 second-half points to give the Tigers, who trailed 20-17 at halftime, a 29-26 advantage, and after Blossomgame scored back-to-back baskets, McDaniels nailed a 3-pointer from the left corner to put the Tigers ahead 37-30 with 7:50 to play. Blossomgame sank a 3-pointer and McDaniels scored on a layup with two minutes left to make it 49-39 in favor of the Tigers, who held on after the Seminoles pulled within four points in the final seconds.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half, Clemson enduring stretches of more than six minutes and more than seven minutes without a field goal, while the Seminoles went nearly eight minutes without a basket. The Tigers did not score after Ibrahim Djambo’s free throw with 4:55 left in the period, with Florida State using Robert Gilchrist’s basket with 38 seconds to play to take a three-point halftime lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Miller, who averages 13.3 points, scored just two points on a pair of free throws before the injury and watched the second half from the bench with ice on his ankle. … Clemson hit only 28.6 percent of its first-half shots. … McDaniels snatched away a Florida State shot at the rim with a little more than a minute left and the Tigers holding a seven-point lead.
Top Game Performances
 
Clemson   Florida State
KJ McDaniels 26 Scoring Aaron Thomas 13
Rod Hall 6 Assists Michael Ojo 2
KJ McDaniels 7 Rebounds Boris Bojanovsky 3
KJ McDaniels 5 Free Throws Made Devon Bookert 4
Landry Nnoko 2 Steals Robert Gilchrist 2
KJ McDaniels 3 Blocks N/A
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Clemson 53 43.2 7-19 8-12 10 32 5 4 17
Florida State 49 34.0 1-8 16-20 5 25 0 6 11