After playing tournament teams like Georgia, Xavier and Oklahoma in the first four games to start the season, Friday’s High Point game was supposed to be a breather for Clemson.
Someone forgot to tell High Point that.
The Panthers gave Clemson all it could handle before a Jaron Blossomgame steal and dunk followed by an Avery Holmes’ three-pointer gave the Tigers some breathing room as they pulled away for a 83-74 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Panthers (3-3) did not make life easy for Clemson, who needs to beat non-Power 5 Conference foes such as High Point to keep from falling in the same trap they have in years past, when their out of conference record prevented them from making the NCAA Tournament.