DURHAM, N.C. – Clemson guard Joe Girard III attempted to go after an official postgame before being held back in the emotional aftermath of the Tigers' 72-71 loss at Duke on Saturday.
The Blue Devils, trailing by one, had the ball with 7.4 seconds left when Tyrese Proctor drove down the court and committed a foul. He made both free throws to give Duke a one-point lead with one second left. Girard threw a full-court pass to Clemson star PJ Hall, who appeared to collide with Duke's Mark Mitchell before fumbling the ball, sealing the Blue Devils' victory.
Tigers coach Brad Brownell exchanged words with an official after that no call and then Girard ran toward an official as the team was escorted off the court before a Clemson staff member, along with Brownell, escorted him. They grabbed him and pulled him back. After the game, Brownell said the referees changed the result.
Clemson hasn't defeated Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium since 1995.
“I think we've had some history with that official,” Brownell said. “There was a lot of emotion on our bench because we are a passionate group that fought until the end and we felt like maybe the game was taken away from us a little bit. It shouldn't be decided like that.”
Brownell did not specify which official he was referring to. Clemson committed 20 fouls and Duke committed 17 fouls in the game.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said he was proud of his team for the way they finished the game. Proctor (18 points) extended a four-game hot streak and freshman Jared McCain (21 points) showed all of his potential in the win, he said. Both players executed after Kyle Filipowski (2 of 8), who had struggled all game, picked up his fifth foul late.
Arbitration? Scheyer said it was a physical game for both teams.
“For me, I can go back through the whole game and talk about the different plays where we get pushed back when we block,” Scheyer said. “I could lose the whole game. All I know is that Tyrese Proctor made an incredible play at the end to put the ball in the basket and got fouled, shooting two free throws. He should be celebrated for that.
“I'm not going to go over, every game we play, the refs after a game, what they called and what they didn't call. All I know is I'm proud of my team, man. Find a way to win and play through “I think there was a lot of contact going both ways.”
Duke is now 10-1 in its last 11 games, a week before facing rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Clemson last defeated Duke on the road on January 4, 1995, in a 75-70 victory. That game was significant because it was Mike Krzyzewski's last game of the season. Complications following back surgery ended his year 12 games into the season. Assistant Pete Gaudet coached the remainder of the 1994-95 campaign.
Brownell has coached Duke's many losses at Cameron Indoor Stadium over the past 30 years. After the game, he noted a two-point loss at Duke two years ago that felt similar to Saturday's result.
“I think there were times when our guys were getting hit and it didn't seem the same.” [with the foul calls]” Brownell said. “We lost by two the last time I was here and we had the lead with two minutes left. I've been here, in this same situation, about four times, within one possession, and I still haven't won one. Tonight was the closest we got. “We got to a second and they took it away from us.”
