CLEMSON, S.C. — DJ Horne scored 27 points, including the game winner with 9.8 seconds left, and North Carolina State scored the last five points to beat Clemson 78-77 on Saturday night, snapping a six-game losing streak in the series.
Horne scored six straight points and added a 3-pointer to cap a 16-6 run to tie it 71-all with 3:32 remaining. Clemson pushed ahead to 77-73 on a Jack Clark layup and a jumper from Joe Girard with 1:07 to play.
Michael O’Connell answered with a layup and Mohamed Diarra split a pair of free throws to pull N.C. State to 77-76. Casey Morsell forced a Clemson turnover, and following a timeout, Horne drove the lane and floated in a one-handed jumper. Chase Hunter missed a layup on Clemson’s final possession.
Horne was 10 of 20 from the field and made five of the Wolfpack’s nine 3-pointers. DJ Burns Jr. added 14 points for N.C. State (16-9, 8-6 Atlantic Coast Conference), which ended a two-game skid. Jayden Taylor chipped in with 12 points and Diarra finished with 11.
Girard made four 3-pointers and scored 23 points on 7-of-13 shooting to lead Clemson (17-8, 7-7). PJ Hall added 18 points, and Hunter and RJ Godfrey scored 10 apiece.
Clemson opened the second half on 16-4 run for a 51-43 advantage. Girard’s layup stretched the lead to 61-49 about midway through the second half.
N.C. State hosts Syracuse on Tuesday. Clemson plays at Georgia Tech on Wednesday.