Duke defeats Clemson 72-71 after controversial foul call in final seconds

It came down to the final seconds but Duke defeated Clemson 72-71 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Tyrese Proctor hit two free throws with one second left for the deciding points and the Blue Devils improved to 15-4 on the season.

However, the final sequence was controversial as Proctor drew a blocking foul on the final possession down by just one point. Proctor, so it appeared, pushed off during his hop step into a shot.

However, the call was on Clemson in a sequence that could’ve went either way. The play can be seen below.

YOU MAKE THE CALL: was this a foul on Clemson to give Duke the win?? 😳🤔 pic.twitter.com/aZBO2SzMtM

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) January 27, 2024

Proctor finished the game with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists. Jared McCain led the way with 21 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Duke led 32-26 at halftime but Clemson outscored the Blue Devils 45-40 in the final 20 minutes. Unfortunately for the underdog Tigers, they could not pull off the road upset against the No. 12 team in the country.

Clemson’s Joseph Girard III, as the ESPN broadcast showed, appeared to have some words for officials during the postgame handshake lines.

need a better angle of Joe Girard chasing down a ref pic.twitter.com/PJbI1r2yxN

— Liam (@Blutman27) January 27, 2024

Safe to say, tensions boiled over in Clemson’s loss to Duke. Girard finished the game with 13 points, one rebound and one assist

PJ Hall led the way for the Tigers with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

At one point, Duke trailed 69-65 with 2:15 to go. But constant turnovers and missed opportunities for both sides resulted in a wild finish to the game.

McCain made a lay up to pull the Blue Devils within two with 1:32 to go in the game. After trading turnovers, Kyle Filipowski made a layup to tie the game 69-69 with just 15 seconds left.

As he made the shot, he was fouled and Duke went up by a point with the ensuing free throw.

Then, Filipowski committed a foul of his own on the other end, giving Hall two shots. Once he made noth, Clemson had a one point lead.

That’s what led to the controversial sequence at the end of the game as Josh Beadle was charged with the foul, leading to Proctor’s winning free throws.

Clemson is back in action Tuesday against Louisville while Duke returns Monday at Virginia Tech.