Despite a suffocating Clemson defense and a halftime deficit, UNC defeated Clemson 67-63 at the Smith Center Tuesday night. The win came on Senior Night for Elijah Davis and Seth Trimble and capped off an 18-0 home campaign for the Tar Heels.
UNC fought through consistent shooting struggles in the win, as the Tar Heels finished 10-28 (35.7 percent) from the floor in the first half and 12-30 (40.0 percent) in the second. Carolina’s full-game shooting percentage of 37.9 was its lowest in a win this season. It was just the third game in ACC play this season UNC shot below 40 percent from the field. Clemson had entered Tuesday’s game ranked third in the ACC in field-goal percentage defense and second in scoring defense.
“We just couldn’t get anything consistently around the rim,” head coach Hubert Davis said after the game.
Those offensive struggles led to a 30-27 halftime deficit for Carolina after Clemson made a three-pointer in the final seconds. The Tigers extended that lead to five points in the opening moments of the second half on a pair of baskets from R.J. Godfrey, who finished the game with 22 points and shot 10-13 from the field.
UNC appeared to seize momentum after Jarin Stevenson drew a flagrant foul against Clemson’s Nick Davidson, which sparked a 12-0 run for Carolina to take a 44-37 lead. It was the Tar Heels’ largest advantage of the game.
But Clemson punched back after the run, as Godfrey again asserted himself with eight straight Tiger points. Clemson answered UNC’s 12-0 stretch with a 15-5 run, taking a 52-49 lead with 6:49 remaining.
With UNC staring down the barrel of its first home loss of the season and a spoiled Senior Night, Luka Bogavac caught fire by drilling three three-pointers in a span of 2:30, boosting Carolina back into a 61-55 lead with 2:21 remaining. Another three-pointer in the final minute would serve as the dagger, but it wouldn’t come off the hands of Bogavac: Derek Dixon nailed one from straightaway to give UNC a 64-59 edge with 46 seconds on the clock. Bogavac made two more free throws with 12 seconds left to give him a career-high 20 points. He shot 6-10 on threes after not making more than three in a game all season.
“He’s one of those guys that when he hits one, he wants another look,” Davis said of Bogavac. “So we called three straight plays for him.”
“For me, it was important to keep shooting,” said Bogavac. “Coach Davis recognized it.”
With UNC leading 66-63 with 10 seconds remaining, the Tar Heels still needed another stop to ice the win. In a bizarre final sequence, Clemson’s Dillon Hunter declined to shoot a tying three in the final seconds, instead attempting two shots close to the rim. Both missed, and Trimble recovered the rebound before being fouled. He made one of his two free throws to seal the win.
“We were switching everything,” Davis said. “Not just on the ball. Off the ball. It made it very difficult for them to get the ball in, and that’s why they drove it into the lane.”
Trimble ended his senior night with nine points in more than 37 minutes plated. He shot just 2-10 from the field, but did make the final free throw to cap off the win with 0.9 seconds on the clock.
“We had to be the more physical team,” Trimble said. “They were the more physical team for a lot of the game, and I think that’s why they had some success. Once we switched that and flipped that mindset, we took care what we needed to take care of.”
Elsewhere, Henri Veesaar scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds before fouling out. Jarin Stevenson scored nine points and recorded a career-high 10 rebounds.
Carolina’s 18 home wins are its most in a single season in program history. It’s the first time UNC has finished a season undefeated at home since 2016-17, which ended with Carolina winning the national championship.
Tuesday’s win improves UNC to 24-6 overall and 12-5 in ACC play. The Tar Heels will wrap up the regular season when they visit No. 1 Duke Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Featured image via Todd Melet. For a full photo gallery of the game, click here.
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