Game Blog: Ellington's 25 leads Carolina to blow-out win over Clemson
Jan 22, 2009
11:11 p.m. - The Tar Heels just dominated Clemson in the second half. Wayne Ellington led all scorers with 25 points. Tyler Hansbrough had a quiet double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Carolina held the Clemson big men in check all night; Booker and Rivers shot a combined 5-for-15. Oh, and Carolina was not out-rebounded, finishing the game with 39-to-35 advantage in that category unofficially.
Final score from Chapel Hill - UNC 94, Clemson 70
11:02 p.m. - On a night when Wake Forest lost it's first game, Carolina looks like the best team in the nation. Tar Heels 90, Tigers 64. That's the score with just over three minutes left in the game. Wayne Ellington left the game to a huge standing ovation. His line tonight is unofficially 25 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds.
I'm impressed with Deon Thompson tonight. I think it's safe to say he's heard the media chatter calling him soft. Thompson has finished strong a number of times tonight, and will finish with 15 points and 5 boards.
3:23 to play - UNC 90, Clemson 64
10:50 p.m. - Wayne Ellington probably wishes he could play Clemson every night. Ellington has now just passed his season high 23 points, with 25 at the under-eight minute media timeout. The junior guard is unofficially 9-of-15 from the floor and also has dished out a season high 7 assists tonight. Ellington has scored more than 20 points only twice this season; in the last two games. If he keeps this up, UNC is definitely the best team in the nation. Heels fans everywhere are seeing Ellington come out of his funk. But, Carolina fans have to hope that a week off before the Heels' next game doesn't slow down Ellington's momentum.
7:42 to play - UNC 76, Clemson 54
10:40 p.m. - The Clemson offense is running through Terrence Oglesby on nearly every possession. Problem is for the Tigers, Oglesby is just 1-of-7 so far after the break. That included (unofficially) 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. Carolina is now up by 15 points and doesn't appear to be slowing down. The 2nd half belongs to the Heels so far, with four players now in double figures for UNC. Big surprise; Ellington leads the Heels with 20 points. Hansbrough, Lawson and Thompson are also having big scoring nights at 12, 13 and 12.
11:54 to play - UNC 67, Clemson 52
10:28 p.m. - Carolina has continued what they started late in the first half. The Tar Heels have pressured the Clemson guards, forced turnovers and finished in transition. The lead is now 14 points. The late first half run is now a 27-9 run since the five minute mark of the opening frame. Carolina is also attacking the glass much better in the 2nd half, already with four boards since the break.
15:51 to play - UNC 56, Clemson 42
10:17 p.m. - The Heels lead, but they are on track to be out-rebounded for a third consecutive game. The Tigers lead the Tar Heels 19 to 14 in rebounding in the first half, including 8 offensive boards for Clemson. These second chances, and a 6-of-11 mark from three-point range are keeping the Tigers in the game.
Carolina shot 53.3% in the first half to Clemson's 42.4%. The Heels have scored an impressive 14 points off 11 Tigers turnovers. Carolina has only turned the ball over 6 times.
Wayne Ellington and Terrence Oglesby are the leading scorers, with 16 and 17 respectively. Look for these two sharp-shooters to play a big role in the 2nd half.
10:06 p.m. - Carolina was efficient and fun to watch in the last five minutes of the first half. The Tar Heels trailed 33-29 with just over five minutes remaining in the opening frame. Then something clicked. A Danny Green block. An Ed Davis block, followed by another blocked shot by Green. Sprinkle in a couple of big two-handed dunks by Deon Thompson and Wayne Ellington, and the Heels were on a 16-7 run before you knew it. I can imagine the two head coaches in the respective locker rooms... "We've got to control the ball better in the back court and slow down their guards!" Oliver Purnell may be screaming. Roy is most likely telling his team that he wants to see them show the aggressiveness they showed in the last five minutes for the entire second half.
I'm off to grab the official stat sheet. I'll be back in a few minutes with some thoughts on the first half numbers.
Halftime - UNC 45, Clemson 40
9:50 p.m. - A dunk attempt that turned into a bouncing basket plus-one gave the Heels a 34-33 lead with about five minutes remaning to the break. Clemson bounced right back on a lay-up by Trevor Booker. The bigger story here is not the Heels' brief lead, but the fact that Thompson has gone up hard at least three times tonight and is 2-of-3 from the charity stripe. Many fans, and members of the media, have commented that Thompson is too soft. Perhaps he's heard this and is responding.
3:53 to play in the 1st half - Clemson 35, UNC 34
9:37 p.m. - Carolina is starting to take advantage of the Clemson press - Under eight minutes now until the break. Ty Lawson is beginning to pick apart the full court pressure of the Tigers. Wayne Ellington, Tyler Hansbrough and Lawson himself have been beneficiaries of fast break baskets. The Tar Heels are still suffering from a great Clemson perimeter shooting night. The Tigers are shooting 62.5% from beyond the arc.
7:51 to play in the first half - Clemson 27, UNC 25
9:27 p.m. - Tyler Hansbrough left the court with about 13 minutes to go, after being called for an offensive foul. He has just returned, and got the crowd on his feet by taking a charge just before the media time out. Carolina is now working the ball around much better, no longer settling for outside shots. But, the Heels have yet to lead, and Clemson is out-rebounding UNC. Something else Roy will certainly want to change.
11:47 to play in the 1st half - Clemson 14, UNC 14
9:17 p.m. - A game played on the perimeter early on - Carolina has attempted seven shots, five of them have been three point attempts. Clemson is 2-of-3 from behind the arc, accounting for half of their points. Oglesby hit his first attempt, then stepped off a shot fake to drain another. A good sign for the Heels, Ellington nailed his first three-point try of the game. I'm amazed that Carolina hasn't really tried to get the ball to their bigs in the post at all yet. I'm sure Roy Williams wants that to change.
15:29 to play in the 1st half - Clemson 12, UNC 8
8:45 p.m. - Apparently everyone in the Triangle is in one of two places tonight; the Dean Dome for Carolina/Clemson, or the RBC Center for Canadian singing sensation Celine Dion. I chose to be in Chapel Hill. Just a personal preference for a top ten college hoops match-up instead of a rousing rendition of the Titanic theme I guess. The media room is overflowing here at the Smith Center. The burrito/tex-mex restaurant didn't bring near enough food for the swarm of press in Chapel Hill tonight. No burrito for me, just beans and rice remained by the time I went through the line. Mmm, cold black beans.
Now, if you're in Raleigh, I advise you to stay away from Blue Ridge Rd., Edwards Mill Rd., or any of the streets that surround the home of the Pack/Canes/Celine Dion concert. I-40 was a parking lot getting out of Raleigh heading west.
Carolina is out on the floor warming up, once again without Marcus Ginyard. The Tar Heels could use him tonight as they attempt to stretch their home winning streak against Clemson to 54 games. Wayne Ellington was shooting three's a moment ago in warm-ups. It looks like his range is pretty good this evening. Ellington averaged 29.3 points per game in three wins over the Tigers last season. That includes 36 points in an overtime victory in the first UNC/Clemson clash last year.
Clemson has four key guys to keep an eye on tonight against Carolina, and pretty much every night the Tigers play. Sophomore point guard Demontez Stitt was Mr. Basketball in North Carolina his senior year in high school. A Matthews native, Stitt is is a good distributor and lightning quick. He'll be attempting to work the ball to two upperclassmen forwards; KC Rivers and Trevor Booker. Booker, at 6'7" and 240 lbs., is the leading scorer and rebounder for the Tigers with 15.1 ppg and 9 rpg. He averaged better than 12 points and 9 boards against the Tar Heels last season. Rivers will bang down low a bit, but is also a threat from behind the arc. But, Clemson's best three point shooter by far is sophomore Terrence Oglesby. Look for his efficiency from the perimeter to be a factor for the Tigers.
Alright, 15 minutes to tip off. Should be a good one as #5 North Carolina takes on #10 Clemson. Enjoy the game, and I'll post again after a few minutes of action.
