DURHAM, N.C. — Clemson was on the verge, moments away from its first win in Duke's famously hostile home arena in nearly three decades.
Instead, a whistle blew, coach Brad Brownell ripped off his sportscoat and the game hurtled toward a chaotic finish that left the Tigers brimming with frustration.
Tyrese Proctor hit two free throws with 1 second left to help the 12th-ranked Blue Devils survive for a 72-71 win Saturday, barely averting the program's first loss in Cameron Indoor Stadium since the 1994-95 season. As for the Tigers, it turned what could have been a massive boost to their postseason resume to another stumble in what has been a difficult January.
“I’ve been here in this same situation about four times, within a possession,” Brownell said. “I haven’t won one yet. Tonight was as close as we got. We got to 1 second and had it taken from us.”
The Tigers (13-6, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) did plenty right, namely in getting another strong performance from star big man PJ Hall (19 points, 10 rebounds) and a dominating rebounding effort that led to 15-0 edge in second-chance points.
But by the end of this one, nothing else seemed to matter other than those final moments.
“It's hard to win here for a lot of reasons, it really is,” Brownell said. “Tonight was an example of that, that's all I'm going to say. That's really disappointing.”
Hall's two free throws had given Clemson a 71-70 lead with 7.4 seconds left. But after a timeout, Proctor took an inbounds pass and raced up the court. He encountered multiple defenders, but pushed inside the paint to draw a bump as Josh Beadle contested his shot, ending up on the floor.
Official Lamar Simpson blew the whistle and raised his right arm from the nearby baseline. The “Cameron Crazies” erupted in a relieved roar. Clemson's Chase Hunter walked away with his arms on his head. Brownell turned back toward his bench at the other end of the court and ripped off his coat.
And when Joseph Girard III checked back in between Proctor's free throws, he slapped his hand on the scorer's table.
“It's hard to put into words honestly,” Beadle said. “I thought I didn't foul, but the ref said I hit him on the wrist on the shot. I went hands up, I thought I got ball. But I guess the ref thought differently.”
Clemson had a final desperate possession, with Girard III heaving a long throw for Hall — who ended up in a collision with Duke defender Mark Mitchell, sending both to the court as the horn sounded. Within moments, Brownell was giving an earful to Simpson near the bench, then pulling back Hunter and Girard from venting their frustrations, too.
“There was a lot of emotion from our bench because we're a passionate group that fought their tails off and feel like the game was maybe taken from us a little bit," Brownell said. "It shouldn't be decided like that.”
Still, Clemson had its chances to avoid that situation. Most notably, the Tigers led 69-65 on Girard's jumper followed by Hall's two free throws with with 2:15 left — only to commit four straight turnovers to open the door for Duke.
That's why Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer offered an emphatic response when asked about Brownell's comments, saying that Proctor “should be celebrated” for making the clutch final plays.
“I'm not going to go through every game that we play, the officials after a game, what they called and what they didn't call,” Scheyer said. "All I know is I'm proud of my team, man. I'm proud of my team for finding a way to win and playing through contact.
"Look, I think there's a lot of contact both ways. ... And that's part of playing in the ACC. You've got to find a way to get a win."
