In its 150th ever meeting against Clemson, the No. 7 North Carolina men's basketball team was able to continue its series dominance over the Tigers, earning a 80-69 win in its first ACC contest of the season.
Clemson (7-6, 0-1 ACC) was able to jump out to an early 6-0 lead, but that would be the largest deficit the Tar Heels (12-2, 1-0 ACC) would face the entire night.
After a poor defensive showing against UNC-Greensboro, UNC ramped up the pressure from the beginning of Wednesday's contest.
In the first half, Clemson committed eight turnovers, shot 37 percent from the field and hit just 3-of-11 3-pointers.
Senior forward Brice Johnson, who came into the game averaging 22.5 points and 11 rebounds per game in his last four contests, was held to just one point and two rebounds in the first half.
With Johnson rendered ineffective, Joel Berry stepped in to pick up the slack. In the first half, the sophomore guard contributed 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Tar Heels led by as many as 10 in the first half, but allowed Clemson to hang around in the waning moments of the period.
After UNC missed a shot with less than two seconds left, Johnson picked up a foul which sent the Tigers to the free throw line, where they were able to cut the score to 37-30.
North Carolina quickly pushed its lead back to double digits as the second half opened, a trend that held for a good part of the rest of the contest.
