Clemson came out strong and defeated North Carolina last night at Littlejohn Coliseum 63-50! The Tigers showed up with a full team effort in the win against the Tar Heels, and their record improved to 5-5 in the ACC. Let’s take a look back on the 4 keys we talked about before the game:
1 – Making shots early
Clemson went on an 11-2 run to start off the game, which included the rare, but momentum changing slam by Alex Hemenway. With 8 minutes to play in the 1st Half, the Tigers led 24-9 and finished the half with a 33-21 lead.
2 – Better 2 point to 3 point shot ratio
The Tigers shot 23 3’s during the game which is slightly lower than their average over the past 5 games (25.4 attempts). They shot 34 2’s and made 40% of their attempts. The number of 3 point attempts did not change drastically, but they capitalized on some good looks that had not been falling in earlier games. The key for the Tigers in the game was making open 3 point shots in the first half and taking advantage of open lanes on the interior, forcing the Tar Heels to respect both.
3 – Aamir Simms
Simms had himself a well rounded day, scoring 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. To start the game, Simms scored 7 points before the 10 minute mark and made a key 3 point basket. The Tigers played well through him, and Simms was able to find open looks for teammates or beat his man one-on-one.
4 – Opponent Field Goal %
The Tigers had been giving up 52.8% of shots to their opponents on average over their last 4 losses. Tuesday night, Clemson only gave up 38.6% from the field and only 26.3% from 3 against the Tar Heels. They also held North Carolina to a season low of 50 points, which is a great sign for the run down the stretch with UNC having won their last 3 games entering the matchup.
Other Important Notes
- Tigers held UNC to only 7 offensive rebounds
- Turnovers: Tigers 7, Tar Heels 17
- Free Throw Line: Tigers 9/12, Tar Heels 11/21
- Armando Bacot (UNC) – 1 pts, 0/1 FG, 3 reb vs. 11.9 pts, 7.5 reb (Avg.)
- Hunter Tyson (Clemson) – 16 pts, 4 reb, 2/5 from 3pt
Player of the Game
Our Player of the Game honors would have to go to Clyde Trapp. He ended up with 14 points and tying a career high with 9 rebounds. Trapp did not end up being the highest scorer for the Tigers, but he was a leader on the floor and used his ball handling to make strong moves to the basket; in turn, his playing helped open up the spacing for teammates. Hopefully, a game like that from Trapp can continue, and he can ride that momentum into this weekend’s matchup.
Next Opponent
Saturday 2/6 2pm ACC Network
Syracuse 10-5 (4-4) @ Clemson 11-5 (5-5)