For 40 minutes of game time at Duke, Saturday, Clemson scraped, clawed and toiled, chasing down loose balls and fighting for extra possessions. All of the effort netted the Tigers a one-point lead heading into the game’s final seconds at Cameron Indoor Stadium, a hallowed hall where Clemson had fallen short in its last 20 tries. But the Tigers were in prime position to exorcise those demons, leading late and settled in defensive formation, poised to thwart 12th-ranked Duke on its home floor. With the clock melting away, Duke’s Tyrese Proctor dribbled behind his back and into traffic. It looked as though Proctor was out of moves, out of time and out of options as he forced up his shot. However, Proctor’s frantic prayer was answered by a referee’s whistle. A whistle that came with one second on the clock and signaled a foul against Clemson’s Josh Beadle, resulting in two free throws. Proctor ambled to the stripe and converted them both, washing away Clemson’s hard labor in a 72-71 Duke victory.
The NCAA and ACC have regulations in place to prevent coaches from openly criticizing officials, so Clemson head coach Brad Brownell refrained from explicitly disputing the final call in the press room. But his comments were pointed and his meaning was clear, “I’ve been here in this same situation about four times within a possession and haven’t won one, yet,” Brownell said. “Tonight was as close as we got. We got to one second and had it taken from us.”
Clemson needed a terrific second-half surge to take the lead into the final moments after struggling offensively in the first half, making just 29% of its shots before the break. Duke enjoyed a 9-0 run late in the first half, stretching its lead to a dozen. The Blue Devils scored the first four points of the second half, again extending its lead into double digits. The Tigers mounted a comeback by crashing the glass and cashing in on extra possessions. Clemson grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and outscored Duke 15-0 on second-chance points.
The Tigers got tremendous individual efforts from P.J. Hall, Joseph Girard, III and Chase Hunter. Hunter kept Clemson in it early, scoring eight of his 11 points before intermission. Girard got off to slow start but heated up as the game wore on, scoring all 13 of his points after halftime. Hall (19 points, 15 rebounds), as is often the case, was the focal point of the game plan and finished with his fifth double-double of the season.
It was Hall that gave Clemson its late lead in what looked to be the biggest play of the game. Following a timeout, the all-conference forward was isolated on Duke’s Ryan Filipowski. Hall got Filipowski off-balance, forcing Filipowski to smack Hall on his shot, fouling out Duke’s big man in the process. Hall knocked down both free throws to give Clemson a 71-70 lead with 7.4 seconds remaining, setting up the final possession that resulted in the game-altering foul call.
With the loss, Clemson’s misery at Cameron Indoor Stadium continues. The Tiger’ drought dates back to January of 1995.
Clemson (13-6, 3-5) is back home to face Louisville in its next ACC tilt. The Tigers and the Cardinals are scheduled to tip off from Littlejohn Coliseum at 9 p.m., Tuesday.