David Skara's 16 points and 14 from Aamir Simms helped No. 22 Clemson as the Tigers broke out to an early lead in a 71-51 victory against visiting North Carolina Central on Friday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Clemson's three starting forwards combined to shoot 13 of 19 from the field, creating dominance in the lane. They were also 6 of 8 on 3-pointers.

Shelton Mitchell added 11 points for Clemson (2-0).

Raasean Davis scored 14 points and Zacarry Douglas added 12 points for NC Central, which was making its season debut. The Eagles haven't won an opener since 2010. The Eagles hit 32.7 percent from the field, starting to find some flow in the second half.

The Tigers broke to a 40-20 halftime lead, holding the Eagles to 25 percent shooting from the field.

The second half was even, but the Tigers had done their damage by then. Clemson ended up with 10 baskets from 3-point range.

Marcquise Reed of Clemson was held to six points after pouring in 20 in the opener against The Citadel on Tuesday night.

Randy Miller Jr. pumped in 10 points off the bench for the Eagles. Larry McKnight scored eight of N.C. Central's first 11 points, but he was shut out the rest of the way.

Despite Clemson's healthy advantage on the scoreboard, the Eagles held a 38-31 rebounding advantage. Douglas had a game-high 11 rebounds.

Clemson won the only previous meeting three seasons ago.

N.C. Central, which was an NCAA Tournament team last season as winner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament, begins the season with three road games.

--Field Level Media