GAME NOTES: The Clemson Tigers begin a three-game homestand that continues into the next calendar year, as they welcome the Oakland Golden Grizzlies to Littlejohn Coliseum for a non-conference clash on Monday.

Brad Brownell's Tigers are in the midst of seven home games over an eight-game span, but unfortunately, the one road trip came on Friday, as the team dropped a 68-45 decision to instate rival South Carolina in Columbia. With the loss to the Gamecocks, Clemson is now 6-4 on the young season.

Greg Kampe's Golden Grizzlies played a tough game at Pittsburgh on Saturday, but were unable to upend the Panthers on their home floor, falling to Pitt, 81-77 in overtime. The loss was the third straight for Oakland, leaving the team with a less than desirable 4-8 overall mark.

This is the first-ever meeting between these two programs.

The Grizzlies let one slip away at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday, as a seven-point lead evaporated over the final five minutes of regulation and the hometown Panthers used the overtime session to secure the win. Oakland shot the ball extremely well in regulation, converting .500 in the first half and .565 in the second, but went a miserable 1-of-9 from the floor in the extra session. Kahlil Felder led the Grizzlies in defeat with 23 points and seven assists. Jalen Hayes finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Max Hooper added 12 points off the bench.

Oakland possess solid scoring depth this year, averaging 74.5 ppg on .460 shooting. Unfortunately, the strong play doesn't carry over to the defensive end, where foes are netting a concerning 80.0 ppg. Felder headlines a quartet of double-digit scoring averages with 16.3 ppg. Corey Petros, who was held in check by Pitt (8 pts, 7 rebs), is still converting just over 60 percent of his shots, while averaging 15.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Tommie McCune an Dante Williams round out the top scorers with 11.8 and 10.0 ppg, respectively.

The Tigers struggled big time in their loss to South Carolina, as the 45 points scored represented a season low by a large margin. Leading by two points at the half (30-28), Clemson fell apart over the final 20 minutes, scoring just 15 second-half points, while shooting an ugly .179 (5-of-28) from the floor after the break. Jaron Blossomgame led the way in defeat with 14 points. Damarcus Harrison joined him in double digits with 10 points. There was little scoring support elsewhere.

While scoring hasn't been a strength of the Clemson attack this season, the second-half effort against the Gamecocks has to be alarming. The team enters this contest averaging 66.4 ppg, on .432 shooting. The team has really struggled to find its range, converting just 28.3 percent of the time from behind the arc and averaging just 5.1 3-pointers per game. Blossomgame isn't a prolific scoring option but he does lead the team with 12.2 ppg. Harrison is a close second with 11.8 ppg, followed by Rod Hall and his 10.5 ppg. Donte Grantham (9.9 ppg) and Landry Nnoko (9.8 ppg) are just under double digits.

The Golden Grizzlies can score, but the recent gauntlet of games that includes road trips to Michigan State, Arizona and Pittsburgh has to be wearing on Oakland. That should be enough of an advantage for Clemson to find its way back into the win column.