| Stat | Game | |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Points | 73 | 70 |
| FG Att | 53 | 54 |
| FG Made | 26 | 21 |
| FG Pct | 49.1 | 38.9 |
| FT Att | 23 | 30 |
| FT Made | 17 | 24 |
| FT Pct | 73.9 | 80.0 |
| 3pt FG Att | 17 | 21 |
| 3pt FG Made | 4 | 4 |
| 3pt FG Pct | 23.5 | 19.0 |
| Rebounds | 28 | 39 |
| Off Rebs | 8 | 15 |
| Def Rebs | 20 | 24 |
| Team Rebs | 3 | 9 |
| Assists | 11 | 9 |
| Steals | 7 | 5 |
| Blocks | 9 | 3 |
| Turnovers | 11 | 11 |
| Fouls | 20 | 20 |
It was a valiant effort to make a game of it after falling down as many as 21 at one point and down 18 early in the second half, but State's rally fell one possession short. Richard Howell, having another great game recording his first collegiate double-double, had a close-range shot stuffed by Clemson's Jerai Grant to kill off State's final opportunity to take the lead in the final seconds. State had two looks to tie at the end but missed both and Oliver Purnell's Tigers escaped Raleigh with a win.
Laudations go out to State's backcourt duo of Julius Mays and Farnold Degand. Two players who've looked completely lost at times in their careers here at State, they handled Clemson's press extremely well. State finished with only 11 turnovers; compared to the 26 the Tigers forced against the Tar Heels earlier in the week, that's an impressive number.
The Pack rebounded well in the second half and finished with 11 more boards than the Tigers (39-28). Howell was a big part of that effort, snagging 12 himself.
Still, this team takes too much time to find itself offensively. The Pack had but 15 points with only 5 minutes left in the first half. State converted 11 free throws to close out the period to keep the half from being a total disaster, but the lack of production from the floor to start the game ultimately doomed them.
There's enough good to be taken from this game to feel good moving forward...but there's still enough bad to be left scratching your head. Sadly, that seems par for the course these days.
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