RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — PJ Hall scored 20 points, Nick Honor made four free throws in the last 10 seconds and Clemson used a late surge to edge North Carolina State 70-65 on Saturday.
Al-Amir Dawes added 16 points and was in the middle of the game-winning run for the Tigers (10-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Dawes hit a jumper with 6:04 remaining to put Clemson up 57-53. Alex Hemenway made good on three free throws at 4:56 and Chase Hunter closed the 7-0 surge with a bucket with 31/2 minutes to play. The 62-54 lead was the largest of the game for the Tigers.
Dawes added a layup and a pair of free throws with 35 seconds left to help thwart the Dereon Seabron-led Wolfpack surge.
Sebron scored nine points in the last three minutes to lead North Carolina State (8-8, 1-4) with 27 points. He had 19 in the second half. Casey Morsell hit a 3-pointer with a second left to make it 68-65 but Honor came through.
Thomas Allen, who finished with 10 points, Sebron and Jericole Hellems hit 3-pointers to open the game as N.C. State took a 9-0 lead. Clemson used a 10-0 run to go up 23-16 but a Hayes triple at the buzzer had the Wolfpack within 30-28 at the break.
Sebron's 3 and two Hellems free throws put N.C. State on top in the first minute of the second half. Hall scored four points as Clemson answered with eight straight. Three times the Wolfpack pulled even, the last with 9:09 to play as Cam Hayes made two free throws to make it 49-all.
and Clemson stayed on top.
The Tigers shot 49% (28 of 57) but had just three 3s while N.C. State, which shot 32% (19 of 60) and went 9 of 28 from 3-point range. The Wolfpack were also a plus-13 at the free-throw line until Clemson made six in the final minute.
Both teams are on the road on Wednesday; Clemson at Notre Dame, N.C. State at Louisville.
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