CLEMSON- No. 8 North Carolina came into Clemson and knocked off the No. 16 Tigers 65-55 in a battle of Top 20 teams on Saturday inside Littlejohn Coliseum.
A late scoring drought that lasted more than four minutes and a 9-2 North Carolina run sealed the Tigers fate.
It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the afternoon that saw seven different ties and 11 lead changes, but with the Tigers struggling from the perimeter. Clemson missed on its first 14 3-point attempts before Chauncey Wiggins finally drained one with just over 13 minutes remaining in the game.
Chase Hunter led the way for the Tigers with 17, hitting on 8-of-14 from the field. However, he missed on all four of his attempts beyond the arc.
Ian Schieffelin added 16, while pulling down 11 rebounds. He also finished 6-of-7 from the free throw line. It was the fifth double-double of his career and a career high in rebounds.
PJ Hall pitched in with 12, giving Clemson three double-digit scorers.
Joe Girard III had what was arguably his worst shooting game in a Clemson uniform, scoring just 5 points and missing on nine of his 10 shot attempts.
Clemson falls to 11-3 overall and 1-2 in ACC play.
Player of the Game: It is hard to argue with anyone other than Shieffelin here. The big man had another monster game despite the losing effort. Schieffelin was a force down low and a big part of why the Tigers outscored the Heels in the paint 32-24.
Stat of the Game: It is a wonder the Tigers were able to even keep this one close considering the struggles from outside. Clemson shot just 1-of-18 from 3-point land.
Up Next: The Tigers will travel to Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7pm and the game will be televised on one of the ESPN networks.