Hall, Clemson take down No. 3 North Carolina 80-76 on the road to bolster NCAA resume
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Brad Brownell kept telling his Clemson players that they were a better team than their results had shown so far with their NCAA Tournament hopes in question.
Taking down No. 3 North Carolina on the road for only the second time in program history certainly helps drive home that message.
PJ Hall had 25 points along with the go-ahead putback with 3:14 left as the Tigers stunned the Tar Heels 80-76 on Tuesday night, earning a marquee win despite blowing a 16-point lead.
“We just held on,” Brownell said, adding: “But our guys finished, which was really nice to see.”
Joseph Girard III added 21 points for the Tigers (15-7, 5-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), including a huge 3-pointer at the 2:09 mark to follow Hall's basket. The Tigers never trailed yet had to fight to the final seconds to secure the win against the Tar Heels (18-5, 10-2), who were coming off an emotional rivalry win against No. 9 Duke three days earlier.
Clemson lost its first 59 games in Chapel Hill before breaking through in 2020 for an overtime win. Now the Tigers have won two of three trips here since. This one comes after the Tigers had lost three of five by a combined five points, including a 72-71 loss at Duke with the Tigers a second away from their first win at Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1995.
“Just keep playing, man," Hall said of Brownell's message. "Keep playing, believe in ourselves, believe we're a good team and know the guy beside you wants to win just as much as you.”
When the game was over, Ian Schieffelin (14 points, 11 rebounds) joined several Tigers players waving goodbye to the UNC crowd as they skipped their way into the tunnel.
Armando Bacot had 24 points and 13 rebounds to lead UNC, while RJ Davis added 22. But the Tar Heels shot just 36.9% and made 9 of 27 3-pointers in a clunker of a follow-up to beating the Blue Devils.
It was a fitting outcome, considering how the Tigers carried the action from tip. The Tigers hit their first five shots and rolled to a 15-2 lead on Hall’s 3-pointer that had UNC coach Hubert Davis burning a timeout less than 3½ minutes in.
“It's not about Xs and Os, there's nothing from a basketball standpoint we can talk about until the energy and effort and enthusiasm rises,” Hubert Davis said of that timeout message.
BIG PICTURE
Clemson: This game represented a major opportunity. Ranked No. 39 by KenPom and sitting at 37th in the NET, the Tigers were 3-4 in Quadrant 1 games that top a postseason resume, including against No. 16 Alabama in November. This was huge, especially with only one Q1 opportunity left from here (at Wake Forest on March 9), and marked the Tigers' first road win against a top-5 opponent since beating No. 4 Wake Forest 70-66 in February 1977.
UNC: The Tar Heels didn't have top reserve Seth Trimble due to an upper-body injury, and the most of the regulars struggled offensively. Davis needed 22 shots to get his output and banked in a meaningless 3-pointer on UNC's final possession, while fellow starter Cormac Ryan managed two points on 1-for-10 shooting.
UP NEXT
Clemson: The Tigers visit Syracuse on Saturday.
UNC: The Tar Heels visit Miami on Saturday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | PJ Hall vs. Armando Bacot (Ian Schieffelin gains possession) | |||
19:46 | +2 | Chase Hunter makes two point jump shot | 2-0 | |
19:20 | +2 | Harrison Ingram makes two point jump shot | 2-2 | |
19:00 | +2 | Ian Schieffelin makes two point hook shot | 4-2 | |
18:39 | Elliot Cadeau misses two point layup | |||
18:37 | Ian Schieffelin defensive rebound | |||
18:26 | +2 | Joseph Girard III makes two point jump shot (PJ Hall assists) | 6-2 | |
18:13 | Armando Bacot misses two point jump shot | |||
18:11 | Joseph Girard III defensive rebound | |||
17:54 | +3 | Joseph Girard III makes three point jump shot (Ian Schieffelin assists) | 9-2 | |
17:44 | RJ Davis misses two point jump shot | |||
17:42 | Ian Schieffelin defensive rebound | |||
17:35 | +3 | PJ Hall makes three point jump shot (Joseph Girard III assists) | 12-2 | |
17:16 | Cormac Ryan misses two point jump shot | |||
17:14 | Chase Hunter defensive rebound | |||
17:03 | Ian Schieffelin misses two point jump shot | |||
17:01 | Armando Bacot defensive rebound | |||
16:55 | RJ Davis misses two point jump shot | |||
16:53 | Ian Schieffelin defensive rebound | |||
16:34 | +3 | PJ Hall makes three point jump shot (Joseph Girard III assists) | 15-2 | |
16:32 | Tar Heels 30 second timeout | |||
16:13 | +2 | Armando Bacot makes two point jump shot | 15-4 | |
15:59 | +2 | Chase Hunter makes two point jump shot | 17-4 | |
15:51 | RJ Davis misses three point jump shot | |||
15:49 | Jack Clark defensive rebound | |||
15:29 | PJ Hall misses two point layup | |||
15:27 | PJ Hall offensive rebound | |||
15:17 | PJ Hall misses three point jump shot | |||
15:15 | Ian Schieffelin offensive rebound | |||
15:10 | Jack Clark misses three point jump shot | |||
15:08 | Harrison Ingram defensive rebound | |||
14:49 | PJ Hall shooting foul (Armando Bacot draws the foul) | |||
14:49 | TV timeout | |||
14:49 | +1 | Armando Bacot makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 17-5 | |
14:49 | +1 | Armando Bacot makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-6 | |
14:32 | RJ Godfrey misses three point jump shot | |||
14:30 | Paxson Wojcik defensive rebound | |||
14:17 | +2 | Armando Bacot makes two point layup (Cormac Ryan assists) | 17-8 | |
14:17 | RJ Godfrey shooting foul (Armando Bacot draws the foul) | |||
14:17 | +1 | Armando Bacot makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 17-9 | |
13:55 | Joseph Girard III misses three point jump shot | |||
13:53 | Harrison Ingram defensive rebound | |||
13:46 | Cormac Ryan misses two point layup | |||
13:44 | Ian Schieffelin defensive rebound | |||
13:37 | Jack Clark misses two point jump shot | |||
13:35 | Cormac Ryan defensive rebound | |||
13:17 | Cormac Ryan misses three point jump shot | |||
13:15 | Harrison Ingram offensive rebound | |||
13:09 | +2 | Armando Bacot makes two point layup (RJ Davis assists) | 17-11 | |
13:09 | Ian Schieffelin shooting foul (Armando Bacot draws the foul) | |||
13:09 | +1 | Armando Bacot makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 17-12 | |
12:45 | +2 | PJ Hall makes two point jump shot | 19-12 | |
12:45 | Armando Bacot shooting foul (PJ Hall draws the foul) | |||
12:45 | +1 | PJ Hall makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 20-12 | |
12:31 | Cormac Ryan misses three point jump shot | |||
12:28 | Jalen Washington offensive rebound | |||
12:28 | Chauncey Wiggins personal foul (Jalen Washington draws the foul) | |||
12:26 | RJ Davis misses three point jump shot | |||
12:24 | Paxson Wojcik offensive rebound | |||
12:09 | RJ Davis misses three point jump shot | |||
12:07 | Tigers defensive rebound | |||
11:56 | Chase Hunter misses two point jump shot | |||
11:54 | Cormac Ryan defensive rebound | |||
11:46 | +2 | Armando Bacot makes two point layup (Cormac Ryan assists) | 20-14 | |
11:30 | +3 | PJ Hall makes three point jump shot (Chase Hunter assists) | 23-14 | |
11:05 | Cormac Ryan misses three point jump shot | |||
11:03 | Jack Clark defensive rebound | |||
10:55 | Cormac Ryan personal foul (Josh Beadle draws the foul) | |||
10:55 | TV timeout | |||
10:33 | RJ Godfrey misses two point hook shot | |||
10:31 | Paxson Wojcik defensive rebound | |||
10:10 | +3 | Paxson Wojcik makes three point jump shot | 23-17 | |
9:53 | Joseph Girard III misses two point jump shot | |||
9:51 | Paxson Wojcik defensive rebound | |||
9:43 | Joseph Girard III personal foul (Paxson Wojcik draws the foul) | |||
9:35 | Harrison Ingram turnover (lost ball) (Dillon Hunter steals) | |||
9:22 | +3 | Joseph Girard III makes three point jump shot (Dillon Hunter assists) | 26-17 | |
9:09 | Paxson Wojcik misses three point jump shot | |||
9:07 | Jack Clark defensive rebound | |||
9:00 | Jalen Washington shooting foul (Jack Clark draws the foul) | |||
9:00 | +1 | Jack Clark makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 27-17 | |
9:00 | +1 | Jack Clark makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-17 | |
8:41 | Harrison Ingram misses three point jump shot | |||
8:39 | Jack Clark defensive rebound | |||
8:30 | +2 | Joseph Girard III makes two point jump shot | 30-17 | |
8:23 | Ian Schieffelin shooting foul (Paxson Wojcik draws the foul) | |||
8:23 | Paxson Wojcik misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
8:23 | +1 | Paxson Wojcik makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 30-18 | |
8:01 | Joseph Girard III misses two point jump shot | |||
7:59 | Paxson Wojcik defensive rebound | |||
7:42 | Elliot Cadeau misses two point jump shot | |||
7:40 | Armando Bacot offensive rebound | |||
7:37 | Armando Bacot misses two point jump shot | |||
7:35 | Chauncey Wiggins defensive rebound | |||
7:30 | +2 | Dillon Hunter makes two point layup | 32-18 | |
7:30 | Elliot Cadeau shooting foul (Dillon Hunter draws the foul) | |||
7:30 | TV timeout | |||
7:30 | Dillon Hunter misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
7:30 | Armando Bacot defensive rebound | |||
7:07 | +3 | RJ Davis makes three point jump shot (Cormac Ryan assists) | 32-21 | |
6:41 | Chauncey Wiggins turnover (bad pass) | |||
6:29 | Cormac Ryan misses three point jump shot | |||
6:27 | Jack Clark defensive rebound | |||
6:16 | +2 | PJ Hall makes two point dunk (Chase Hunter assists) | 34-21 | |
5:59 | +2 | Elliot Cadeau makes two point reverse layup | 34-23 | |
5:33 | PJ Hall misses two point jump shot | |||
5:31 | Elliot Cadeau defensive rebound | |||
5:25 | Dillon Hunter shooting foul (Armando Bacot draws the foul) | |||
5:25 | +1 | Armando Bacot makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-24 | |
5:25 | +1 | Armando Bacot makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 34-25 | |
5:10 | Elliot Cadeau personal foul (Chase Hunter draws the foul) | |||
5:10 | Tigers 30 second timeout | |||
5:05 | Cormac Ryan personal foul (Chauncey Wiggins draws the foul) | |||
5:01 | RJ Davis personal foul (Joseph Girard III draws the foul) | |||
5:01 | +1 | Joseph Girard III makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-25 | |
5:01 | +1 | Joseph Girard III makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-25 | |
4:35 | RJ Davis misses two point jump shot | |||
4:33 | Joseph Girard III defensive rebound | |||
4:26 | Joseph Girard III turnover (lost ball) (Zayden High steals) | |||
4:16 | Zayden High misses three point jump shot | |||
4:14 | Jack Clark defensive rebound | |||
4:00 | +3 | Chase Hunter makes three point jump shot | 39-25 | |
3:30 | RJ Davis misses two point jump shot | |||
3:28 | Joseph Girard III defensive rebound | |||
3:13 | Joseph Girard III misses three point jump shot | |||
3:11 | RJ Davis defensive rebound | |||
3:10 | RJ Godfrey personal foul (RJ Davis draws the foul) | |||
3:10 | TV timeout | |||
3:10 | RJ Davis misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
3:10 | PJ Hall defensive rebound | |||
2:51 | Joseph Girard III misses three point jump shot | |||
2:49 | RJ Davis defensive rebound | |||
2:42 | Harrison Ingram misses two point layup | |||
2:40 | PJ Hall defensive rebound | |||
2:31 | +2 | Jack Clark makes two point layup (Chase Hunter assists) | 41-25 | |
2:11 | Harrison Ingram misses three point jump shot | |||
2:09 | Armando Bacot offensive rebound | |||
2:04 | Armando Bacot misses two point layup | |||
2:02 | Zayden High offensive rebound | |||
1:59 | +2 | Zayden High makes two point tip layup | 41-27 | |
1:46 | PJ Hall misses three point jump shot | |||
1:43 | Armando Bacot defensive rebound | |||
1:39 | RJ Davis misses two point layup | |||
1:38 | Tar Heels offensive rebound | |||
1:38 | PJ Hall personal foul (Zayden High draws the foul) | |||
1:38 | +1 | Zayden High makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 41-28 | |
1:38 | Zayden High misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
1:38 | RJ Godfrey defensive rebound | |||
1:22 | +2 | Chauncey Wiggins makes two point layup | 43-28 | |
1:06 | +3 | RJ Davis makes three point jump shot | 43-31 | |
0:41 | Chauncey Wiggins misses three point jump shot | |||
0:39 | Armando Bacot defensive rebound | |||
0:28 | +3 | Harrison Ingram makes three point jump shot (RJ Davis assists) | 43-34 | |
0:04 | Chase Hunter misses two point jump shot | |||
0:02 | Zayden High defensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |