Morehead St. Eagles vs Clemson Tigers Box Score on Dec 21, 2020

Aamir Simms recorded a double-double and Nick Honor scored a team-high 14 points to lead Clemson to a 66-51 victory over visiting Morehead State on Monday afternoon.

The Tigers (6-1) bounced back after suffering their first loss of the season in their ACC opener against Virginia Tech last week, which dropped them out of the AP Top 25. Still, Clemson is off to its best start since the 2017-18 season which ended with a Sweet 16 appearance.

Simms had 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Coming off the bench, Honor's 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range energized Clemson after a slow start.

The cold-shooting Tigers fell behind 16-14 with about seven minutes left in the first half before taking the lead for good with a 15-0 run.

Clemson finished the game shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 37.0 percent (10 of 27) from behind the arc. Al-Amir Dawes added 12 points on four 3-pointers.

The Tigers' defense kept them afloat early and made the difference, forcing 13 of the Eagles' 21 turnovers before halftime. Clemson finished with 12 steals to only four for Morehead State.

Skyelar Potter led Morehead State (4-6) with 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 5-of-8 from deep. No other Eagles scored in double figures.

The Tigers outrebounded the Eagles 31-25, including an 11-4 advantage on the offensive glass. Alex Hemenway went 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and finished with nine points off the bench as Clemson's reserves outscored Morehead State's bench 34-11.

The Tigers re-enter ACC play on Dec. 29 when they host Florida State. The Eagles jump back into Ohio Valley Conference play on Jan. 2 when they play at Murray State.

--Field Level Media