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Mays, Clemson use balanced attack to rout Alabama

Jan 2, 2008 - 1:19 AM TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (Ticker) -- James Mays and Clemson used a balanced attack to easily dispatch Alabama.

Mays and Trevor Booker scored 18 points apiece to lead four players in double figures as the 19th-ranked Tigers coasted to an 87-61 victory over the Crimson Tide on Tuesday.

Terrence Oglesby chipped in 17 off the bench and K.C. Rivers added 15 for Clemson (12-1), which has won two straight after suffering its first loss of the season to Mississippi on December 22.

"I thought we played outstanding basketball today," Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. "I thought that we came in the first half and we faced a good ballclub that was playing well. They gave us a pretty good couple of blows and I thought our guys showed a lot of mental toughness with staying with our stuff."

Mays and Booker were deadly inside, shooting a combined 17-of-26 from the floor to help the Tigers shoot 55 percent (37-of-67).

Meanwhile, Oglesby was just as good on the perimeter, shooting 5-of-8 from the arc to help the Tigers put an end to the Crimson Tide's six-game winning streak.

Clemson led, 40-35, at halftime and then opened the second half on a 21-10 run capped by a 3-pointer from Oglesby which provided a 61-45 lead with 11:59 remaining.

The rout was on as Booker then scored six of Clemson's next eight points to expand the lead to 65-45 with 10:30 to play.

"I thought in the second half, because we were able to use so many guys we wore them down with our pressure," Purnell said. "That was a big part of the reason that we blew the game open."

Alabama (10-4), which had won six straight by an average of 19 points, shot just 39 percent (25-of-63) from the floor.

The Tigers continued to overwhelm the Crimson Tide as Oglesby's shot from the arc capped a 14-2 run and made the score 85-56 with 2:37 remaining.

Alonzo Gee scored 17 points for Alabama, which had not faced Clemson since 1990.

"They played terrific, but I think it's fairly obvious that in the second half we just had a complete collapse of everything," Alabama coach Mark Gottfried said.