Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels comeback falls short at Clemson

By Zack Pearson

CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 27: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during their game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at the Dean Smith Center on January 27, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - JANUARY 27: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during their game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at the Dean Smith Center on January 27, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Tar Heels come back in the second half but the rally falls short at Clemson

Well, the North Carolina Tar Heels have done something that they haven’t done since the 2014 season.

Unfortuanetly, it’s not a bright spot.

The Tar Heels fell short at Clemson, losing to the Tigers 82-78 on Tuesday night dropping their third-straight ACC game. It’s the first time the Tar Heels have lost three-straight conference games since the 2014-15 season when they started 0-3.

Before the game, the Tar Heels knew they would be short without backup point guard Jalek Felton who is suspended. But during the game, their depth took another hit as Theo Pinson had to leave early in the first half.

For the second-straight game, it was the three-pointer that doomed the Tar Heels.

After a quick 4-0 lead by UNC, Clemson came out hot from the perimeter. The Tigers first seven made field goals were three-pointers and they jumped out to a 26-14 lead.

Clemson’s first made two-point shot was a jumper by Marcquise Reed at the 7:50 mark.

The Tigers made 10 three-pointers in the first half and shut down UNC’s offense, taking a 44-28 lead into the break.

But despite being down by 16, UNC fought back and used a heck of an effort in the second half to do so.

The Tar Heels went on a 8-0 run to open the second half and cut the lead down to six. Clemson led the entire second half but UNC wouldn’t go away.

Backed by a terrific night from Joel Berry and Cam Johnson, UNC was able to erase the 16-point halftime deficit.

They even tied the game at 74 with just 2:07 left in the game. Clemson responded with a 5-0 run including a wide open three-pointer to seal the deal.

Clemson made a total of 15 three-pointers in the game as perimeter defense continues to be a problem for the Tar Heels. Against NC State, UNC gave up 15 three-pointers in the overtime loss.

Offensively, UNC was led by Johnson’s career-high of 32 points and Berry’s 27 points. The two combined for 59 of UNC’s 78 points.

Player of the Game

This one is easy.

Cam Johnson showed up for the Tar Heels, scoring a career-high 32 points. He hit a few big buckets late in the game to keep UNC in it.

Johnson has now scored a total of 56 points in two games against Clemson this year.

Stat of the Game

UNC dropped its first game to Clemson since the 2010 season.

That breaks a 10-game losing streak for the Tigers to the Tar Heels. UNC won the previous meeting this season just a few weeks ago.

What’s up next..

The Tar Heels return to the court on Saturday when they host Pitt in the Dean E. Smith Center.

Pitt is currently 0-9 in the Atlantic Coast Conference but the Tar Heels can’t look ahead to their game against Duke next week. Saturday’s game is a must win for UNC as they have to start collecting wins to get back into the ACC double-bye race.

Home/UNC Basketball