Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 13, 1994 TAG: 9402130149
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
And that was before his Clemson team took on Virginia.
The travel-weary Tigers made six of 35 field-goal attempts in the second half and shot 23.6 percent for the game - the low in school history - as Virginia rallied for a 52-44 Atlantic Coast Conference victory at University Hall.
The Cavaliers (13-7 overall, 7-4 in the ACC) shot 28.8 percent but made their last 12 free throws, including 10 in the final 2 minutes, 28 seconds.
"It was a big, big win for us and that's probably an understatement," said coach Jeff Jones, whose Virginia team ended a two-game losing streak. "We battled through a lot, but when the game was on the line we took a stand and made the plays that a good basketball team makes.
"If anybody wants to dwell on the negative, I'm sure there are a lot of negative things to take a look at, but I'm tickled to death. You don't get any more credit for winning and playing great than winning the way we did."
Clemson's flight did not land at the Charlottesville airport until two hours before tip-off, but the Tigers (12-11, 3-7) scored the first seven points and held UVa without a field goal until Junior Burrough's baseline jumper with 14:12 left in the half.
Originally, the Clemson men and women were scheduled to fly north Friday on a charter. However, the Lady Tigers' game Friday night at Maryland was postponed because icy conditions had closed airports in the area.
"It's Mother Nature," Ellis said. "There's not much you can do about it. We found out the airports wouldn't open till 3 o'clock in the morning. So, we said, `We're not doing that.' "
As a result, the Tigers had a 6 a.m. wake-up call, ate their pregame meal at 7, and were on the runway by 8, although they had to wait half an hour until fuel arrived. They got into Charlottesville at 10:10 for a noon start.
"If the planes had not been able to get in this morning, we wouldn't have had a choice," Ellis said, "but we got the OK and we had to do it. It's television, so we had to get here. There's too much money involved."
Clemson scored the last eight points of the first half to go ahead 24-20 and led 31-30 before Jason Williford hit a pair of free throws for UVa with 11:36 left. It was the beginning of a 10-2 run by the Cavaliers.
It was the sixth game this season that Virginia has won after trailing in the second half, including both meetings with Clemson.
"I just felt, in the last 10 to 12 minutes, that our legs went out from under us a little bit," Ellis said. "It was obvious that we were tired. I have no complaint with the effort."
At least Ellis, who is stepping down at the end of the season after 11 years as Clemson's coach, had something to show for his trouble. He received a framed picture and a UVa captain's chair and showed his gratitude by blowing a kiss to the crowd of approximately 5,000. (There were about 3,500 no-shows because of the weather.)
Sharone Wright led the Tigers with 22 points and 12 rebounds, but the junior center got little support, particularly from the reserves, who were 0-for-17 from the field. Clemson's previous low as a team was 26 percent in a 50-44 loss to Duke during the 1980-81 season.
It marked the second UVa game this season in which neither team shot 30 percent, both Cavaliers triumphs. Virginia also shot 28.8 percent in a 59-51 victory over Rice.
Williford had a team-high 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first "double-double" of the season. Yuri Barnes added 11 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, 12 in the second half.
Barnes was 1-for-5 from the line in the first half, when the Cavaliers missed six consecutive free throws during one stretch, but swished six in a row to put UVa ahead 52-40 with 44.2 seconds left.
"The last three games gave us the opportunity to do something real, real good," said Burrough, furious Wednesday night after a 67-54 loss at North Carolina State. "We had to do something quick to stop the bleeding."
One of Jones' first observations after the N.C. State game was that the Cavaliers couldn't expect to score 23 points in a half - as they did against the Wolfpack and earlier in the week at Florida State - and still win an ACC game.
On the other hand, 20 points in a half must be all right.
"It's not the first time I've been wrong," Jones said.
by CNB