Reed goes for 19 to lead Clemson to 74-64 victory

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) Marcquise Reed was glad to be back in the game after a year on the sidelines. He was even happier to show off his scoring touch in his first game at Clemson.

Reed scored 19 points, including seven straight during a crucial second-half stretch, to lead the Tigers to a 74-64 victory over Georgia at re-opened Littlejohn Coliseum on Friday night.

''It felt great to go out there and compete against somebody else besides my teammates who I've been playing against every day for a year,'' said Reed, who transferred to Clemson from Robert Morris.

Reed was an instant hit at Littlejohn, which underwent a $63.5 million renovation since it last hosted a game in March 2015.

After Georgia (0-1) cut a double-digit deficit to 51-48 on two William Jackson II 3-pointers with 10 minutes left, Reed went off on his run to restore Clemson's margin.

Reed hit a jumper, then stole the ball from J.J. Frazier and powered in for another basket. Moments later, he nailed a three and the Tigers were ahead 60-50. The Bulldogs never got closer than seven points the rest of the way.

''He's one of those wild dogs, you've got to let him hunt. You've got to let him loose,'' Clemson coach Brad Brownell said of his transfer guard.

Reed was the Northeast Conference rookie of the year in 2914-15, averaging 15.1 points a game for the Colonials. His run included 21 points that season in a loss at Clemson.

''When we were coming out the huddle, I told my team, `We've got to find a way to get a bucket,''' said Reed, a 6-foot-3 sophomore. ''They went on their run and then we went on our run.''

Yante Maten led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Frazier, who averaged 16.9 points last year, finished with 11 on 5-of-13 shooting.

BIG PICTURE

Georgia and Clemson are in similar situations - programs in Power Five leagues with longtime head coaches looking to move up.

The Bulldogs and coach Mark Fox will need Frazier to play like an all-SEC guy if they hope to live up to their preseason ranking of fourth in the conference behind Kentucky, Florida and Texas A&M.

Tigers coach Brad Brownell led his team to 10 ACC wins last season, but missed out on the NCAA Tournament with a 17-14 record. Clemson was chosen 11th at the preseason league gathering despite having a first-team all-ACC member in Jaron Blossomgame returning for his senior year.

SOLID SCORING

Clemson had four players with double-figure scoring. Reed led the way with 19 followed by Gabe DeVoe with 15, Jaron Blossomgame with 13 and Avry Holmes with 10.

NOT SO SOLID EFFORT

Georgia coach Mark Fox was not happy about much he saw from his team against Clemson. He said the offense failed to make plays when it counted and his defense was nowhere near tough enough to win a game like this on the road. ''We set the game back with our lack of poise,'' Fox said.

FIRST GAME JITTERS

Brownell, Clemson's seventh-year coach, acknowledged a bit of anxiety over wanting to win the first game in his redone arena. He and others in the athletic department had spent significant time the past few years pushing for the renovations and knew it would be difficult to explain a first-game loss before a packed crowd of 9,000. ''You don't want to lose a game like this.''

UP NEXT

Georgia opens its home season against UNC Asheville on Monday night.

Clemson is off for nearly a week until facing Davidson on Thursday at the Tire Pros Invitational in Orlando, Florida.

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