Milton Jennings gives Tigers spark in return from academic suspension

Another close loss

Level of frustration? "Pretty high."

CLEMSON — Maybe time off was a good thing for Milton Jennings.

Clemson’s junior forward returned from a two-game suspension for academic-related issues Tuesday and gave the Tigers a major spark in a 64-62 loss to Maryland.

In 26 minutes, Jennings finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two assists, providing excellent minutes off the bench. He entered the game following the first television timeout with 14:45 left.

He had hit only four of 17 3-pointers this season, but nailed three of the four he took Tuesday, including a 22-footer from the top of the key that narrowed the deficit to 63-62 with 2.8 seconds remaining.

“Milt brought a lot of energy to the game,” said junior forward Devin Booker. “He hit some big shots which had us right there. We had a chance. We just couldn’t pull it out.”

Senior center Catalin Baciu got his fourth career start and performed well inside against a tall Maryland front, scoring six points to tie for the Tigers’ first-half lead.

However, Jennings started the second half.

“He was OK in the first half,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said of Jennings. “I thought his energy level was really good. He played well.”

This marked Jennings’ second suspension of the season, following a one-game suspension for an on-court outburst at Hawaii’s Diamond Head Classic.

Stoglin stars again: Maryland sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin showed why he is the ACC’s leading scorer and No.5 in Division I, scoring 27 points while making nine of 11 shots. He nailed four of six 3-pointers and five of six free throws.

“He gets 27 a lot,” Brownell said. “He can’t do it on 11 shots. It has to be on 18 to 20 shots. We didn’t do things well trapping out of ball screens, and other situations I’d like to see us better at.”

Maryland coach Mark Turgeon knows his team relies on Stoglin, admitting afterward he gets extra time off in practice so he can excel in games.

“My thing with Terrell is keeping his legs fresh,” Turgeon said. “There’s so much on him, he’s got to do so much for us. He doesn’t practice as much and sometimes we’ve given him an extra day off to keep him fresh.”

Honoring a fallen teammate: Clemson’s “Rally Cats” dance team wore pearl-colored ribbons Tuesday night in honor of a former teammate – Keasha Rutledge Draft. Draft, the wife of former NFL linebacker Chris Draft, died Dec. 27 following a yearlong battle with lung cancer. The two were married for only 30 days.

Keasha Draft, who graduated from Clemson with an electrical engineering degree, never smoked and was one of as many as 24,000 people who die annually from non-smoking lung cancer.

Draft announced Tuesday that he has established the Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial scholarship, an opportunity for Clemson students to further their studies and pursue their dreams.

“We are committed to changing the face of lung cancer by shattering stereotypes,” Draft said. “It is extremely moving to see the Clemson University community rallying together to honor her legacy. Keasha wanted to inspire people to embrace each day and by remembering to dance, smile and live.”

Before her death, the couple founded Team Draft, which strives to raise research funds supporting Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.