Update: 7:03 p.m. Jones Angell confirmed that Williams had a spell of vertigo. It has not been determined whether he will come back out in the second half.
CLEMSON, S.C. — No. 5 UNC leads Clemson 39-35 at the half after picking up the pace in the closing minutes. However, the developing storyline of the first half occured when head coach Roy Williams fell down on the sideline with just under a minute to play and was helped to the locker room.
At the under-12 timeout, UNC’s answer to every question was a Coby White three. The first-year poured in 14 of North Carolina’s 19 points in the first 7:46, keeping the Tar Heels within one at 20-19.
Neither team was able to get its offense going early in the half. Clemson’s stingy defense held UNC to just two more points before the under-8, with those points coming on a Seventh Woods to Garrison Brooks emphatic alley-oop. At the time-out, Clemson led 25-21 as UNC subbed back in its starting five.
A Cameron Johnson three and a Luke Maye short jumper on an offensive rebound gave UNC the lead, but Clemson quickly took it back with an Elijah Thomas layup on the other side. Other than that, the offenses remained silent for another four minutes. With 3:35 to play, Clemson led 27-26. White’s early 14 and a pair of Johnson threes were led the offense as Garrison Brooks and Luke Maye were the only other scorers for a combined six points.
At 2:07 to go, Thomas hit a layup to put Clemson up 33-29. It was the first field goal by either team since his last layup 2:42 prior. It snapped the Tar Heels out of their sluggish stretch, as a Nassir Little and-one and another White three put UNC up 35-33.
