No. 20 Clemson built a 16-point halftime edge and then withstood a furious second-half rally to score an 82-78 win over No. 19 North Carolina on Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson snaps 10-game losing streak against North Carolina with 82-78 win
The Tigers continue to be the surprise of the ACC.
Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
The win for the Tigers snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Tar Heels that dated all the way back to Jan. 13, 2010. Perhaps because of that streak, Clemson fans stormed the court after the final buzzer had sounded despite the fact that the home team is ranked just one spot behind their guests in the latest AP poll.
Marcquise Reed led Clemson (18-4, 7-3) with 20 points. The junior guard hit the biggest shot of the game, a three-pointer with 1:42 left to give Clemson a 77-74 lead. Reed then found Elijah Thomas for a wide open layup to expand the lead to five and all but put the game on ice with 29 seconds left.
The Tiger win spoiled tremendous performances from the North Carolina duo of Cameron Johnson and Joel Berry. The two Tar Heels combined to shoot 20 of 34 from the field as Johnson poured in 32 points and Berry added 27. The UNC standouts had to shoulder the load left behind by senior forward Theo Pinson, who suffered a left shoulder injury in the first half and did not return to the game.
Perimeter defense continues to be a sore subject for North Carolina (16-7, 5-5), which allowed Clemson to hit 15 of its 30 three-point attempts. The Heels have allowed opponents to make at least 10 shots from beyond the arc in 16 of their 23 games this season.
Earlier this season, UNC improved to 59-0 all-time in home games against Clemson with an 87-79 win on Jan. 16. The Tar Heels have won 20 of their last 22 meetings against the Tigers. Williams’ team has also lost three consecutive ACC games for the first time in four years.
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