CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Nick Davidson scored 17 points and Clemson nearly blew an 18-point second-half lead to beat No. 19 North Carolina 80-79 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament on Thursday night.
The Tigers made 4 of 4 free throws in the final minute and scored 14 points (24-9). The Tigers had six players score in double figures.
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Henri Veesaar had a big game for the Tar Heels, finishing with 28 points and 17 rebounds, while Derek Dixon scored 16 points, including the final three 3-pointers, to help North Carolina (24-8) get back into the game.
The Tigers led by 18 with 11:36 left and seemed poised to advance to the semifinals, but the Tar Heels stormed back with back-to-back 3-pointers from Vissar and Dixon to cut the lead to 78-76 with 13 seconds left.
Hunter made two free throws with 11.1 seconds left to make it a two-possession game, and Dixon added a 3-pointer with 3 seconds left.
The Tar Heels fouled Davidson, who missed both free throws with 2.4 seconds left. North Carolina’s Jalin Stevenson grabbed the rebound but was forced to lift the ball from three-quarters of the court as the Tar Heels took a timeout, but it was far from enough.
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Clemson shot 9-for-19 from beyond the arc and Davidson went 4-for-4.
The Tar Heels struggled to make shots all night until the three-point shot started falling behind. Dickerson hit three three-pointers in the final 2 minutes and 28 seconds, and Vissar hit two three-pointers.
Clemson announced before the game that forward Carter Waring collapsed on the court during Wednesday’s second-round win over Wake Forest and suffered a torn ACL in his right knee.
Next
Clemson: Heading into Friday night’s semifinals against No. 1 Duke, the Seminoles defeated Florida State 80-79 after missing a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
North Carolina: Will await NCAA tournament seeding.
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