Tigers Crushed by Tar Heels, 92-65 |
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Any realistic chance Clemson had of ending it's
zero-for-Chapel Hill streak ended after the first 12 minutes Wednesday night. By then No. 6 North Carolina had finished toying with the Tigers and began an impressive display of basketball, one that ended with the Tar Heels' crushing Clemson 92-65 before a national television audience at the Dean Dome. It was the 11th straight win for North Carolina, and Clemson's 47th loss in as many tries in Chapel Hill. "It's a hard game to play," said UNC coach Matt Doherty. "Most teams want to come in and do their best to end that streak. it's a hard game because everyone expects us to win. Our concentration wasn't that good in the first half...but after we got straightened out in the second half I really liked our defensive intensity." North Carolina used an impressive array of offensive weapons in the destruction. When Clemson (10-7, 1-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) packed in its zone defense to take away center Brendan Haywood, the Tar Heels simply shot over the Tigers. UNC finished 12-of-27 from the 3-point arc, including 8-of-15 (53 percent) in the first half. When the sharp shooting brought Clemson's defense to the perimeter, Haywood and fellow post players Kris Lang and Jason Capel had a field day against the Tigers' undersized interior defense. Haywood finished with 11 points and five rebounds, while Lang and Capel combined for 24 points and 15 rebounds. "I thought from about the eight or nine minute mark of the first half until nine minutes left in the game, it was all North Carolina," Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said. "When they have six guys hitting jump shots from perimeter, that kind of shoots down the (defensive) plan." Haywood also dominated the lane defensively. The 7-foot senior blocked six shots, one of which nearly resulted in Shyatt's ejection early in the second half. That came after Haywood swatted a shot by CU point guard Edward Scott, then stared down the smaller player under the basket while the other eight players raced to the other end of the floor. As the ball moved into the frontcourt, official Ted Valentine suddenly whirled and hit the Clemson bench with the technical. Incensed, Shyatt had to be restrained by Clemson forward Tomas Nagys and assistant coach Matt Driscoll before finally regaining his composure and returning to the bench. "I'd like to address that," Shyatt said. "(Administrative assistant) Bruce Martin said 'That's taunting.' That's all. And I'll have no further comment." Clemson was able to stay close for the game's first 12 minutes, thanks primarily to Will Solomon. His 3-pointer with 8:21 left in the half pulled the Tigers within 29-22, and gave the junior guard all but seven of his team' s points to that juncture. But UNC's Brian Morrison answered with a 3 of his own from the top of the key to push the lead back to 10, 32-22, and Clemson would get no closer than eight points the rest of the half. North Carolina led 44-31 at the break. The Tar Heels (14-2) opened the second half on a16-2 run to take a 60-33 lead, and spent the rest of the half substituting freely en route to their fourth ACC victory without a defeat. The largest margin was 39, 82-43 with 6:07 left, before Clemson shaved the advantage with a barrage of late 3-pointers, three of which came from junior Jamar McKnight. Solomon finished with 17 points to lead the Tigers, but scored just two in the second half. McKnight and Dwon Clifton each followed with nine. As for the streak, Shyatt almost made it through the postgame press conference without the subject being brought up. But when it was on the final question of the evening, he refused the notion that Clemson is jinxed in Chapel Hill. "If it were the same guys year in and year out, then maybe," he said. "But as I told someone the other day, if we're talking man-to-man, it's not real hard to figure out." Notes: — Clemson fought the rebounding battle to a 41-41 draw, and actually outrebounded the Tar Heels on the offensive boards, 15-14. — Adam Allenspach's ailing back limited him to seven minutes in a reserve role. He finished 0-of-2 from the field and had zero rebounds. — The Tigers shot just 24-of-62 (39 percent) from the field and 9-of-16 (56 percent) from the free throw line. North Carolina also had a poor night from the line, shooting just 50 percent (14-of-28). — Freshman Chris Hobbs' return to Chapel Hill, where he attended high school, came with mixed results. The 6-foot-7 forward had just two points, but collected eight rebounds before fouling out late in the second half. BOXSCORE (6) NORTH CAROLINA 92, Clemson 65
CLEMSON (10-7)
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