Darryl Bryant scored 19 points and Kevin Jones added 17 and nine rebounds as West Virginia outlasted Clemson 84-76 in the second round of the East Regional on Thursday at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Fifth-seeded West Virginia allowed 40 points in the first half, the most allowed by the Mountaineers all season. They trailed by nine with 14:18 left in the first half but roared back to tie the game at the first-half buzzer and continued a 15-1 run in the second half that permitted them to gain control of the game via a combination of inside strength and sharp outside shooting.

Clemson attempted a late comeback and trimmed the lead to 74-71 with 1:49 left, only to have the Mountaineers put it away on two free throws by Joe Mazzula and back-to-back steals and baskets by Dalton Pepper.

The Mountaineers (21-11) got 12 points and seven assists from Mazzula, 11 points from Deniz Kilicli, and 10 from Pepper. Clemson (22-12) placed four players in double figures: Andre Young with 22, Demontez Stitt 16, Devin Booker 13 and Jerai Grant 13. Booker had a team-high seven rebounds.

West Virginia will play Kentucky on Saturday.