CLEMSON, S.C. -- Coretta Brown scored a season-high 26 points, including a career-best six 3-point goals, and Nikki Teasley added 20 to lead North Carolina to an 89-85 victory against Clemson on Sunday at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Kenya McBee added a career-high 17 points and 12 rebounds in her first career start, while guard Leah Metcalf added 15 for the Tar Heels (14-3, 4-1 in the ACC).
Three-point shooting was a key to the game. North Carolina was 13-for-26 behind the arc, while Clemson was 5-for-13. UNC's 13 3-point goals were one shy of its single-game mark of 14, set in 1991.
North Carolina took a 21-11 lead in the first eight minutes of the contest. Teasley's 3-point goal from the right wing, the 200th of her career, gave UNC the 10-point advantage. But Clemson (10-6, 2-3) responded with an 8-0 run to cut the margin to 21-19 at the 10-minute mark.
North Carolina led 47-43 at halftime and increased its lead to 52-44 two minutes into the second half before Clemson went on a 16-1 run to take a 60-55 lead with 13:57 left. Krystal Scott's 3-point goal gave Clemson a 56-53 lead, its first advantage since the opening minutes of the game.
North Carolina began a barrage of 3-point shots with 13 minutes left in the game. The Tar Heels made 3-pointers on three consecutive scoring possessions to take a 66-64 lead at the 11:25 mark. The two teams then went back and forth exchanging the lead for the next few minutes.
North Carolina took the lead for good at 71-69 on a 3-point goal by Brown with 8:07 left. Clemson trailed by seven at the 3:49 mark, but went on a 5-0 run to cut the margin to 85-83 with 1:12 remaining.
But North Carolina scored on its next possession on a bucket by Metcalf. Clemson then scored on a layup by Scott to cut the margin to 87-85 with 45 seconds left.
After a defensive stop, Clemson got the ball back with a chance to tie with 12 seconds remaining. Scott drove the lane, but her shot missed. Teasley grabbed the rebound, was fouled and hit two free throws to secure the victory.
