Clemson holds off furious 2nd half rally from No. 19 North Carolina to win 80-79 in ACC Tournament

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Clemson forward Nick Davidson (11) drives North Carolina guard Seth Trimble during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Clemson guard Efrem Johnson (4) drives against North Carolina forward Jarin Stevenson during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond) — Clemson forward Nick Davidson (11) drives North Carolina guard Seth Trimble during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

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9:28 PM on Thursday, March 12

By STEVE REED

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Nick Davidson scored 17 points, and Clemson nearly allowed an 18-point second-half lead to slip away before holding on to beat No. 19 North Carolina 80-79 on Thursday night in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

Dillon Hunter had 14 points and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute for the Tigers (24-9), who had six players finish in double figures in scoring.

Henri Veesaar had a mammoth game for the Tar Heels with 28 points and 17 rebounds, while Derek Dixon finished with 16 points including three late 3s to help North Carolina (24-8) climb back into the game.

The Tigers seemed ready to cruise into the semifinals after building an 18-point lead with 11:36 left before the Tar Heels came storming back to cut the lead to 78-76 with 13 seconds left behind a barrage of 3-pointers from Veesaar and Dixon.

Hunter made two free throws with 11.1 seconds left to make it a two-possession game before Dixon added yet another 3 with 3 seconds left.

The Tar Heels fouled Davidson, who missed both free throws with 2.4 seconds. North Carolina's Jarin Stevenson's grabbed the rebound, but with the Tar Heels out of timeouts he was forced to heave the ball from three-quarters court and it fell well short.

Clemson shot 9 of 19 from beyond the 3-point line with Davidson a perfect 4-for-4.

The Tar Heels struggled to hit shots all night until the 3s started falling late. Dixon made three 3s and Veesaar two in the final 2:28.

Clemson announced before the game that forward Carter Welling suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in Wednesday’s second-round win against Wake Forest when he collapsed to the court.

Up next

Clemson: Moves on to Friday night’s semifinals against No. 1 Duke, which beat Florida State 80-79 after the Seminoles missed a 3-pointer to win it at the buzzer.

North Carolina: Will await NCAA Tournament seeding.

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