After roaring all the way back, Clemson fell just short of a come-from-behind victory against UNC.
Even though Clemson (12-11, 4-8 ACC) got 24 points from PJ Hall and 10 apiece from David Collins and Al-Amir Daws, UNC was able to hold off the Tigers for a 79-77 win Tuesday at Littlejohn Coliseum.
As Collins’ game-winning 3-pointer hit off the front of the rim, the Tigers failed to complete Tuesday’s comeback, which means they are likely past the point of building a resume for next month’s tournament. Though, with a win during Tuesday’s contest, there could have been a conversation to be had.
Clemson, coming off an opportunity gone amiss during a weekend loss at Georgia Tech, also got a career-high 12 points from Ian Schiefflein, but it wasn’t enough.
After a sluggish start to the second half, in which UNC led by as many as nine points, the Tigers rallied back behind the play of some unlikely heroes.
Schiefflein and Alex Hemenway helped get Clemson back into Tuesday’s contest. It was the boost Clemson needed after a lackluster finish to the first half that put them in a deficit, to begin with.
UNC went into halftime with a 30-25 lead. Clemson led the Tar Heels 21-13 with just over six minutes to play in the first frame, but there wasn’t much Brad Brownell’s team could hang its hat on from there.
The Tar Heels rifled off a 17-4 run to finish out the first half.
Clemson’s frontcourt held its own for much of the first half but eventually gave way, which opened the door for UNC to make its run.
Hunter Tyson, of course, is out with a broken clavicle and while Hall has been a significant offensive contributor to this point, there are certain aspects of his game that are still limited by his lingering lower-body injury.
That depth, or lack thereof, gave way to Schiefflein and Ben Middlebrooks seeing more minutes then they’ve grown accustomed to this season. It was baptism by fire and the true freshmen forwards certainly showed their age.
And yet, it was Schiefflein, who had his best game to date and was on the court with the game on the line. Though, the Tigers were outrebounded 35-27.
Clemson will look to bounce back from Tuesday’s loss, as its hosts Duke on Thursday and Notre Dame Saturday.
This story will be updated.
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