WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

One Day After Disaster, Purnell Says Defense Let Clemson Down

By Dane Huffman

Feb 11, 2008

One day after a stunning double-overtime loss at North Carolina, Clemson basketball coach Oliver Purnell was still absorbing why his team couldn’t hold a 15-point lead.

“We dropped a tough game at Carolina last night,” Purnell said on the ACC media teleconference Monday.  “A couple of things jump out.

“First, you’ve got to give North Carolina a lot of credit, particularly [Tyler] Hansbrough and company. They got all the offensive rebounds down the stretch. And they made the plays they had to make down the stretch

“Our biggest issue is we were a great defensive team in the first half, and for much of the second half we weren’t every good. We did not get ball pressure, we didn’t deny, we allowed the post entry pass too easily.”

Purnell thought his team might have become tired in the second half, and also thought Trevor Booker’s foul trouble was a factor. Booker fouled out in the contest.

Carolina, he said, made some enormous shots, especially Danny Green and Wayne Ellington.

But Clemson’s defense should not have allowed that.

“We didn’t defend as well as we needed to. I’m very disappointed in our effort midway through the second half defensively …,” Purnell said. “We didn’t have ball pressure. The first half, our hands were all over the ball. We were pressuring the ball and forcing them to make mistakes.”

One major factor in the game was foul shooting. Clemson made only one of seven foul shots.

Carolina, meanwhile, was 31 of 36 at the line.

One reporter asked Purnell if he was concerned about that discrepancy.

“I haven’t had a chance to look at the game yet,” he said. “My first thought is we weren’t physical enough, we didn’t get it inside enough. That’s my first thought, but let me look at the tape.”