Clemson got the fight it expected Monday night against Wofford and came away satisfied after a 78-70 victory.
The Tigers (2-0) failed to put away the Terriers (0-2) after grabbing an early 14-point lead, but they never let the defending Southern Conference regular-season and tournament champions get within striking distance.
Wofford made its biggest threat late, pulling within 67-60 on Cameron Rundles' 3-pointer with 2 minutes left. But Clemson answered with a pair of free throws from Andre Young.
''This is one of those wins that will look better in March,'' said first-year Clemson coach Brad Brownell. ''They're (the Terriers) just a group that's very confident. Even if you smack them in the mouth early, they're not going to go away.''
Jerai Grant led a balanced Clemson attack with 13 points and six rebounds.
Demontez Stitt added 12 points while Andre Young and Milton Jennings had 11 apiece for the Tigers, who led by double digits most of the game.
Devin Booker also had 10 for the Tigers, who shot 52 percent from the field (26 of 50) and hit 22 of 30 free-throw attempts.
Clemson guard Tanner Smith said the competitiveness of the game should help the Tigers in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
''I think it's good to have one of those games at the beginning,'' Smith said. ''We did a pretty good job pulling through and getting a win.''
Noah Dahlman paced the Terriers (0-2) with 17 points and Brad Loesing added 14, including 12 in the first half. Rundles had 10.
The victory was a birthday present for Brownell, who turned 42 on Monday.
''After games like this, we always feel older,'' the Clemson coach said.
Sparked by four early 3-pointers, Clemson led by as many as 16 points in the first half. But Loesing finished the half with five straight points to cut the margin to 40-30 at intermission.
Clemson extended the lead to 51-36 early in the second half. But Wofford, which made 20 of 26 free-throw attempts, battled back.
Still, the Terriers never cut the margin to fewer than six points in the second half and that came in the final seconds.
''We just couldn't get quite get over the hump after a bad start,'' Wofford coach Mike Young said.
