RALEIGH, N.C. _ N.C. State guard Braxton Beverly hit a running 3-pointer at the buzzer as N.C. State battled back from a six-point deficit in the final 35 seconds to defeat Clemson, 69-67.
Marcquise Reed (game-high 19 points) missed two free throws and C.J. Bryce secured the rebound for the Wolfpack. Bryce pushed it ahead to Beverly, who hit the biggest shot of his career as the horn sounded. Reed missed four in a row to leave the door open for the Wolfpack.
The shot by Beverly gave him 12 points for the game.
After trailing most of the second half, Clemson battled back to tie the game at 49 on a layup from Elijah Thomas, who scored 18 points. That capped off an 8-0 run by the Tigers, as N.C. State went on a 3:11 scoring drought. After a timeout, Beverly missed a 3 from the corner, and Thomas gave Clemson its first lead of the second half, 51-49, after a layup with 6:24 remaining in the game. Beverly's miss was the fifth in a row for the Wolfpack.
After another layup by the Tigers, Bryce missed a jumper from the top of the key, giving the ball back to Clemson, who turned it back over to the Wolfpack. Beverly ended the N.C. State scoring drought with a pair of field goals to make it a two-point game, 53-51, wit less than five minutes remaining.
Thomas answered on the other end, scoring a basket while drawing a foul on D.J. Funderburk. His free throw put Clemson up four. Markell Johnson (team-high 16 points), who returned after missing the last three games with an injury, hit a 3 to make it a one-point game, but State gave up another three-point play, this time to Reed. Torin Dorn knocked down a jumper to make it a one point game, 61-60, but Clemson, which dominated the offensive glass, got a second chance shot to make it 63-60. Another jumper by Reed with 51 seconds remaining appeared to be the final nail in the coffin.
State led 30-24 at the break, after trailing by as many as five in a back and forth opening 20 minutes that looked like both teams were trying to find a groove.
The Tigers went cold right before the break, going 3:33 without a basket and four turnovers in the same span. At the first media timeout out the teams were a combined 4 for 15 from the floor.
