news-record.com

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Andre Young had 19 points, including three 3-pointers, to lift Clemson to a 71-60 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Devin Booker scored 16 points and Tanner Smith added 13 for the Tigers (11-9, 3-3 ACC), who shook off an awful start to send Wake to its fifth defeat in six games.

Demon Deacons coach Jeff Bzdelik said his team committed too many turnovers (15) and did not take full advantage of Clemson's slow start.

"Therein lies the story of the game in my mind," Bzdelik said.

Clemson took control with a 13-4 run early in the second half as Young scored six points and Booker had four. The Tigers pressured the Demon Deacons (11-10, 2-5) into four consecutive turnovers during the stretch, scoring off each to move in front 51-39 with 12:25 to play.

Wake never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

C.J. Harris scored 19 points to lead the Deacons.

Young, a 5-foot-9 senior, had set a career high with 29 points and seven 3s a week ago in a win over Georgia Tech.

"Teammates, coaches really have my back, encouraging me to shoot with confidence and that's a good thing to have," Young said.

Bzdelik said having an experienced lead guard such as Young is crucial.

"It's important to have seniors that have been around for a while and who understand the game," he said. "That just takes time."

Travis McKie added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Deacons. But starting guard Tony Chennault shot 1-of-7, including 1-for-5 from beyond the arc to finish with 3 points, seven off his average.

WAKE FOREST (11-10, 2-5)

FG FT Reb

Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts

Mescheriakov 31 2-7 2-2 2-4 1 3 6

McKie 37 6-14 0-2 5-12 3 4 13

Walker 26 4-7 0-0 2-4 1 2 8

Chennault 29 1-7 1-5 2-5 3 3 3

Harris 38 5-10 8-8 1-7 3 5 19

Fields 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0

Fischer 24 3-7 2-2 0-3 1 0 9

Desrosiers 14 1-2 0-0 0-4 0 1 2

Totals 200 22-54 13-19 14-41 13 18 60

Percentages: FG .407, FT .684. Three-point goals: 3-10, .300 (Fischer 1-2, McKie 1-3, Harris 1-3, Mescheriakov 0-1, Chennault 0-1). Team rebounds: 2. Blocks: 5 (Walker 3, McKie, Desrosiers). Turnovers: 15 (Harris 4, McKie 3, Mescheriakov 3, Walker 2, Chennault 2). Steals: 4 (McKie 2, Mescheriakov, Harris). Technical foul: Mescheriakov.

CLEMSON (11-9, 3-3)

FG FT Reb

Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts

Narcisse 20 2-6 6-6 3-4 1 0 11

Jennings 25 2-10 1-2 2-7 0 3 5

Booker 33 6-11 4-4 3-7 3 2 16

Smith 32 5-10 1-3 1-4 3 4 13

Young 33 7-12 2-4 1-4 5 2 19

Sapp 15 0-4 0-0 0-1 2 2 0

Hall 14 1-2 1-3 0-1 1 2 3

Baciu 9 1-2 0-0 1-1 0 2 2

Coleman 14 1-2 0-0 0-3 1 1 2

Sullivan 5 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Totals 200 25-60 15-22 13-35 16 18 71

Percentages: FG .417, FT .682. Three-point goals: 6-15, .400 (Young 3-6, Smith 2-4, Narcisse 1-2, Jennings 0-1, Sapp 0-2). Team rebounds: 3. Blocks: 7 (Booker 3, Jennings 2, Baciu, Narcisse). Turnovers: 8 (Smith 3, Jennings 3, Hall 2). Steals: 10 (Smith 4, Narcisse 2, Young 2, Booker, Coleman).

Wake Forest 29 31 -- 60

Clemson 36 35 -- 71

A--8,134. Officials--Les Jones, Raymond Styons, Bernard Clinton.