Clemson 78, Georgia State 66

[March 19, 2014]  CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson 78, Georgia State 66: K.J. McDaniels tied career highs with 30 points and 14 rebounds and also blocked five shots to lead the host Tigers to a first-round win in the NIT.

Damarcus Harrison finished with 17 points and six rebounds while Jordan Roper added 11 points for Clemson (21-12). The Tigers will host the winner of Wednesday night's game between Illinois and Boston University in the second round.

Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year R.J. Hunter scored 15 points and had five assists for Georgia State (25-9), which shot 34.3 percent from the floor. Kentucky transfer Ryan Harrow and Devonta White each scored 13 points, Manny Atkins finished with 12 points and six rebounds while Curtis Washington added 11 points and eight rebounds for the Panthers.

McDaniels had 17 points in the first half, including 10 in the first eight minutes, as Clemson built an early 14-7 lead. But Georgia State, which just missed out on an NCAA tournament bid because of a 82-81 overtime loss to Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday in the Sun Belt tournament final, rebounded to take a 23-20 lead on a layup by Washington before the Tigers answered with a 11-0 run en route to a 35-32 halftime lead.

The game remained tight until midway through the second half when Georgia State missed 10 straight shots, which the Tigers parlayed into a 9-0 run and a 59-49 lead. Georgia State never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

GAME NOTEBOOK: McDaniels had his sixth game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, tops in the ACC. … Clemson has won 10 consecutive NIT home games. ... McDaniels has scored in double figures in 30 games this season and blocked a shot in 14 consecutive games.

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.