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CLEMSON, South Carolina (Ticker) -- The only thing harder to believe than North Carolina losing to Clemson is the Tar Heels being done in by a Chapel Hill native. Chris Hobbs' reverse layup with just over a minute to play was the key basket as the last-place Tigers ended No. 1 North Carolina's longest winning streak in over 15 years with a 75-65 Atlantic Coast Conference victory. A 6-7, 250-pound freshman whose father is a cameraman at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, Hobbs' basket gave Clemson (11-14, 2-10 ACC), which had lost eight straight games, a 66-62 lead. Moments later another freshman, Tony Stockman, took an ill-advised 3-pointer from the left wing that drew nothing but net and provided a seven-point cushion for the Tigers with just 44 seconds remaining. Clemson defeated a top-ranked team for just the second time in 23 tries. It knocked off No. 1 Duke, 87-82, in overtime on January 9, 1980 and had been 1-10 at home against top-ranked opponents. The Tigers beat North Carolina for just the second time in the last 10 meetings. Overall, it was only their 17th victory in 125 all-time game against North Carolina, which has never lost to Clemson in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels (21-3, 11-1) had won 18 straight, their longest winning streak since opening the 1985-86 campaign at 21-0. North Carolina's two-week reign atop the national polls ended, and its lead in the ACC standings was reduced to one game over Duke. North Carolina fell to second in the polls behind Stanford. Taking advantage of a sluggish North Carolina squad that had not played in eight days, the Tigers hung on after taking a 59-49 lead on Stockman's 3-pointer with 7:20 to play. On the ensuing trip upcourt, North Carolina freshman Brian Morrison hit a 3-pointer to begin an 11-2 run that got the Tar Heels back in it. Seven-foot center Brendan Haywood capped that burst with a thunderous follow dunk, pulling North Carolina within 61-60, but he was whistled for a technical foul for hanging on the rim and Will Solomon made the free throw for a two-point Clemson lead. Solomon, the ACC's leading scorer, had 26 points, including a runner that tied it at 42-42. A reverse layup by Jamar McKnight shortly thereafter gave the lead for good to a Tigers team that started three freshman and two sophomores. Despite the youth, Clemson battled the Tar Heels throughout, never trailing by more than seven points, an advantage that Haywood provided with a dunk that opened the scoring in the second half and made it 37-30. The Tigers responded immediately, as Ray Henderson hit a turnaround jumper and Solomon nailed a 3-pointer, beginning a stretch in which the junior from Connecticut would score 10 straight Clemson points. With 13 minutes left and the Tigers clinging to a 47-45 lead, Solomon went to the bench after picking up his fourth foul. But the Tigers outscored North Carolina, 12-9, with their star on the sideline. It is the first ACC loss for first-year North Carolina coach Matt Doherty. The Tar Heels' 11-game league winning streak was their longest since a 16-game run over a two-season period from 1987-88. Hobbs had just six points but pulled down eight rebounds for the Tigers, who held a 44-41 advantage on the boards. Stockman finished with 16 points as the Tigers connected on 43 percent (28-of-65) of their shots, including 11-of-30- from 3-point range. Haywood, Joseph Forte and Jason Capel netted 11 points apiece for the Tar Heels, who shot just 38.5 percent (25-of-65) in losing for the first time since a 93-76 home setback against Kentucky on December 2. Forte, the league's second-leading scorer, had 15 of his points in the final 14 minutes after being held to only one free throw in the opening half. Capel had 12 rebounds, but North Carolina made only eight of its 26 attempts from beyond the arc and was 7-of-15 at the foul line.
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