East Carolina University
Clemson
Clemson Hands ECU Its First Home Loss
December 16, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2009
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GREENVILLE, N.C. --- Trevor Booker had 13 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists to help No. 24 Clemson beat East Carolina 80-63 on Wednesday night.
Andre Young scored 16 points to lead the Tigers (9-2), who trailed for all of 25 seconds in the first half before beating the Pirates by double figures for the third straight season. Clemson shot 46 percent and knocked down plenty of 3-point shots, building a 10-point lead in the first 5 minutes on the way to a 17-point halftime margin.
The Pirates (4-6) never seriously threatened a comeback and fell to 0-4 against the Tigers. Darrius Morrow scored 16 points to lead East Carolina, which got no closer than 15 points in the opening minutes of the second half. Morrow also tied his career-high with 12 rebounds to post his first double-double of the season.
ECU scored the game's opening bucket, but the Tigers scored the next eight to build a lead it never relinquished. Clemson led by 12 at the midway point of the first half, but back-to-back dunks from Chad Wynn and Morrow brought ECU to within seven as the clock dipped under six minutes left until halftime.
The Tigers' Young then sank three consecutive baskets from beyond the arc as Clemson surged to a 15-point lead with 3:19 remaining in the opening half.
David Potter and Booker opened the second half by hitting back-to-back 3s as Clemson's lead reached 20. The Tigers' largest lead culminated at 23 points with 8:37 to play.
Clemson sank 10-of-24 shots from behind the arc and nailed 10-of-14 free throws. ECU was able to get to the free throw line 23 times and converted 14 opportunities.
The Tigers dominated play on the inside, scoring 40 points in the paint and blocking eight ECU shots. The Pirates held their own with 34 points in the paint and lost the battle of the boards by three, 40-37.
ECU junior guard Brock Young distributed eight assists to move into second place on the school's career assist list with 366.
The Pirates will return to action Saturday, Dec. 19, against St. Andrews at 7 p.m. inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
