Armando Bacot scored 24 points as North Carolina edged Clemson 79-77 on Tuesday night in a tightly contested Atlantic Coast Conference clash in Clemson, S.C.
Bacot, who made 8 of 10 shots from the floor before fouling out with 1:03 left, also had 10 rebounds for his ACC-leading 18th double-double of the season.
North Carolina (17-7, 9-4 ACC) snapped a two-game losing streak against the Tigers. The Tar Heels have won five of their last six games.
Meanwhile, Clemson (12-11, 4-8) has lost seven of its last 10 games. PJ Hall scored a career-high 24 points for the Tigers on 9 of 18 shooting.
The Tar Heels had four other players in double figures — R.J. Davis had 16, Leaky Black and Brady Manek added 11 apiece and Caleb Love scored 10. Davis also had a team-high six assists.
Clemson led by as many as 11 points early and North Carolina trailed for much of the first half before entering halftime on a 9-2 run for a 30-25 edge at intermission.
The Tar Heels extended their lead to eight points early in the second half, but the Tigers rallied to tie the game at 49 on a three-pointer by Al-Amir Dawes with 12:50 left. The game was tied up 10 times in all and featured 11 lead changes. The contest was knotted up for the final time at 77 when Clemson’s P.J. Hall scored on a layup with 21 seconds remaining.
But Manek scored on a layup with three ticks left on the clock to give the Tar Heels the edge late. Clemson’s David Collins missed a 3-pointer at the final buzzer that allowed the Tar Heels to escape with the win.
Hall scored Clemson’s final nine points of the game and also had four blocks, three rebounds and three assists.
Ian Schieffelin came off the bench to add a career-high 12 points for the Tigers, while Collins and Dawes added 10 points each.
North Carolina shot 50 percent from the floor, including a blistering 60.7 percent — 17 of 18 — in the second half. Carolina also had an advantage on the glass, outrebounding Clemson 35-27.
Clemson fell to 8-3 this season in home games at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers host No. 7 Duke on Thursday.
North Carolina has a two-game homestand coming up against Florida State and Pitt. The Tar Heels are 12-1 in the Dean Dome this season.
–Field Level Media
