UTSA Roadrunners at Clemson Tigers

Clemson runs away from Texas-San Antonio 78-45

Grantham finished with 22 points, including 17 in 17 first-half minutes for the Tigers.

Clemson (2-0) also got 13 points to go with a game-high seven assists from Jordan Roper and 11 points off the bench from Gabe DeVoe.

The Roadrunners (0-2) were led by 12 points from Lucas O'Brien, the only UTSA player in double figures.

Grantham and DeVoe set the tone early, combining to hit 7 of 8 3-point attempts. Grantham was 4 of 4 from beyond the arc in the first half and 5 of 7 for the game.

The Tigers led by as many as 23 points late in the first half and took a 49-28 lead into halftime. They extended that lead to more than 30 just after the midway point of the second half.

Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said the team had a good shootaround earlier Sunday, and that it carried over into the game.

"It was a good performance by our guys," Brownell said. "I was proud of our focus all weekend. We had a good spirit in shootaround and I think that helped with our confidence."

The 49-point half was the highest-scoring first-half performance for Clemson under Brownell, who is in his sixth season at the school.

"I'd hope (NCAA) Division I players could knock down open jump shots because that's what we gave them," said Roadrunners head coach Brooks Thompson. "Clemson played a good basketball game. We knew they were going to defend, and we know what kind of talent they've got."

Known as a defense-first team under Brownell, Clemson's offense found its groove against the Roadrunners. The Tigers shot 27 of 53 from the field (51 percent), including 12 of 25 (48 percent) from 3-point range and had four players score in double figures. The Roadrunners were held to 18 of 58 (31 percent) shooting and connected on 6 of 25 (24 percent) 3-point attempts.

While Brownell has banked on defense during his tenure at Clemson, he said he would like to continue to see the Tigers' newfound scoring punch from several different position as the season progresses. Grantham was the game's leading scorer against the Roadrunners, a role filled by last season's leading scorer, Jaron Blossingame and his 18 points in the season opener.

"You've got to have multiple guys who can score to be successful," Brownell said. "We'd like to have three or four guys who can average double figures. That hasn't happened here that often. We've just had one or two guys."

For the second-straight game, Clemson has not allowed its opponent to reach the 50-point plateau. N.C. Central was held to 40 points in the season opener on Friday, the lowest point total by a Clemson opponent since Furman scored 35 against the Tigers in 2013. Meanwhile, Clemson has averaged 76 points in its first two games this season.

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TIP-INS

Texas-San Antonio: The Conference USA member was playing its first game against an ACC opponent. ... The Roadrunners are in the midst of a six-game road trip to open the season and will play eight of their first nine games on the road.

Clemson: Center Landy Nnoko has been on a shot-blocking spree through two games this season. Nnoko recorded six blocks in the season opener against N.C. Central and another five against Texas-San Antonio.

HOME ON THE ROAD

Clemson is playing all of its regular-season home games this season 30 minutes from campus at Bon Secours Wellness Arena, while on-campus home Littlejohn Coliseum is being renovated.

STAT LINE

Clemson point guard Avry Holmes, who is in the starting lineup after sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, scored only 3 points against the Roadrunners, coming on a 3-pointer with just under 15 minutes to play in the game. It was the San Francisco transfer's only basket of the game, but the 100th 3-point field goal of his college career.

UP NEXT

Clemson hosts Texas Southern on Thursday.

Texas-San Antonio visits Creighton on Tuesday.

How can I watch UTSA vs. Clemson?

• TV Channel: UTSA at Clemson 2021 College Basketball, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPN3.
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