UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs. Clemson 65-55 Win
UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Battles Past a Tough Clemson Team to Win Their Second ACC Road Game
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team played their second conference road game of the season against Clemson on Saturday afternoon. It was a close game throughout the first half between the Tigers and Tar Heels. UNC played much more efficiently offensively than Clemson in the first half, but Clemson was able to keep the game close because they got to the free-throw line often. Clemson shot 11 more free throws than Carolina and was the major reason the Heels were never able to extend their lead in the first half. It was a hard-fought physical first half between the two teams with both teams trying to impose their will on the game. Other than the free throw disparity, the Heels outplayed Clemson in every other way but had some questionable shot selection and some poor defensive possessions late in the first half. Cormac Ryan led the way with 10 points in the first half as the game was tied going into halftime.
In the second half, it was a grind-it-out type of play. Both teams were very physical defensively as neither team allowed any easy shots offensively. North Carolina ran some great offensive sets in the second half that allowed the Heels to get some quality wide-open shots that they were able to knock down. Carolina also did a good job getting downhill and attacking the basket allowing them to get in the bonus early in the second half. RJ Davis, Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram, Seth Trimble, and Paxson Wojcik all made big shots down the stretch of the game to help the Heels take control of the game.
However, the story of the game was the Tar Heels defense, especially after halftime. UNC held Clemson to just 21 points in the second half and 36% from the field for the game including 1-18 from the three-point line. North Carolina also did a great job defending Clemson’s two best players PJ Hall and Joseph Girard. PJ Hall, who averages 20 points a game, was held to just 10 points and Joseph Girard, who averages 16 points a game, was held to just 5 points. Over the last few games, the Tar Heels have stepped up their play defensively with their physicality, aggressiveness, and intensity and it was no different in this game. In the last five minutes of the game, UNC’s stellar defense held the Clemson Tigers scoreless, leading to the Heels’ gritty 65-55 victory.
UNC Game Stats
| 1 | 2 | T | |
| 8 North Carolina 11-3 | 34 | 31 | 65 |
| 16 Clemson 11-3 | 34 | 21 | 55 |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| A. Bacot | 14 | 16 | 3 | 6/11 | 0/0 | 2/4 | 4 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| R. Davis | 14 | 4 | 3 | 5/13 | 2/5 | 2/2 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| C. Ryan | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4/8 | 2/6 | 0/0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| H. Ingram | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3/10 | 2/5 | 1/4 | 2 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| E. Cadeau | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1/4 | 0/2 | 2/2 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| J. Washington | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| S. Trimble | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P. Wojcik | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Z. High | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Withers | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1/4 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Farris | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J. Okonkwo | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| R. Landry | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| C. Lebo | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 65 | 41 | 14 | 25/60 | 8/23 | 7/12 | 16 | – | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| C. Hunter | 17 | 1 | 0 | 8/14 | 0/4 | 1/1 | 2 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| I. Schieffelin | 16 | 11 | 2 | 5/8 | 0/0 | 6/7 | 1 | 34 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| P. Hall | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4/13 | 0/5 | 2/4 | 5 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| C. Wiggins | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2/7 | 1/4 | 0/0 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Girard III | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1/10 | 0/4 | 3/4 | 3 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| R. Godfrey | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| J. Beadle | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| D. Hunter | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Leyte | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| J. Heidbreder | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| D. Nauseef | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| M. Kelly | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| A. Thomas | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| A. Latiff | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J. Clark | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| A. Hemenway | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 55 | 28 | 6 | 21/58 | 1/18 | 12/16 | 14 | – | 7 | 9 | 5 |
UNC Bright Spots
Armando Bacot had 14 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks.
RJ Davis had 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
Cormac Ryan had 10 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.
Needs Work
UNC needs to make sure they continue to move the ball offensively and not have stretches when they’re stagnant and overdribbling, which leads to bad shots. They’re at their best when they’re sharing the ball and are in constant motion offensively.
Final Observations
North Carolina improves to 11-3 on the season and starts 3-0 in ACC play for the first time since the 2015-16 season. They get two huge road wins to start conference play and are getting better each time out on the floor. The Heels are finding different ways to win games with different players stepping up each game to make great contributions, which bodes well for this team going forward. Coach Davis’s message to improve their defense seems to have resonated with the players because their defense has been much better over the last few games and has been a huge reason for the last few victories. The combination of the way their mentality and play has changed defensively with their scoring prowess offensively makes the Tar Heels one of the best teams in the country. Going forward, UNC can only get better because everyone hasn’t even played up to their potential yet. Next up is a road game at NC State on Wednesday, January 10 at 8:00 P.M. on ESPN.
ZERO fast break points!!!!!!!!!!!!!