Defense fails Clemson late in 65-61 loss at No.16 Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Every reasonable observer thought Clemson’s visit to Virginia Tuesday night would be defined by defense.

And it was. Just later than you might have expected.

Both teams are known for their stingy defense – UVA is ranked No.2 nationally in scoring D, Clemson 26th – but neither was on display in a hot-shooting first half.

Only the Cavaliers found their defense after halftime. No.16 Virginia shot 55.8 percent for the game – 63.2 percent after the break – hanging on for a 65-61 win before 10,919 at John Paul Jones Arena.

Virginia improved to 18-3, 5-2 in ACC play; Clemson fell to 11-10, 3-4.

“Guys just made shots tonight. That was the story of the game,” said senior guard/forward Tanner Smith. “Second half, they came out made some shots, we didn’t. And we had some good looks.”

ACC Player of the Year candidate Mike Scott led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, many of them from 15 to 20 feet. Sophomore guard Joe Harris added 19 points and tied a career high by sinking five of six 3-pointers.

They helped the Cavaliers shoot better than any Clemson opponent has this season; the previous best was College of Charleston’s 52.6 percent in a Nov.19 Littlejohn Coliseum upset.

“I think they have three guys – (Sammy) Zeglinski, Harris and Scott – pretty much if those guys are making shots and taking shots, you don’t feel good about it on your end,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “They’re good players who can make shots and get hot.”

After trailing Clemson at halftime, Virginia took control with a virtuoso second-half shooting effort.

Down 35-30, the Cavs strung together an 11-0 run, fueled by 3-pointers – two from Harris and one from Zeglinski.

Harris’ 3-pointer from the left wing pushed UVA’s lead to 41-35, and Brownell called timeout with 14:40 left.

“The bad part about that run was that it was really quick,” Smith said. “All of a sudden we look up and we’re up four, five at half, and all of a sudden you look up and we’re down eight and we’ve played (five) minutes of the second half. We need to cut those runs out and play better defensively.”

Virginia coach Tony Bennett said that, for once, offense carried his team.

“Our challenge at halftime was that we have to change, we have to give it all,” Bennett said. “We have to give more than we think we’re giving. Not that we weren’t giving effort in the first half. But we battled, and the offense came with it.”

The Cavs led by as many as 11 points, 49-38, with 12 minutes to play, and Harris’ fifth 3-pointer of the game extended UVA’s lead to 56-46 with 6;55 left.

Clemson kept scrapping. T.J. Sapp’s first 3-pointer in 19 days ignited a rally.

Devin Booker’s 3-pointer with 57 seconds left cut the lead to 61-58, and after Zeglinski’s missed 3 from the right wing bounced into Smith’s hands, the Tigers had a shot at tying with 20.6 seconds remaining.

Brownell called a timeout, and set up a play for Young, who came off a screen on the inbounds pass.

He had a perfect, wide-open look from the left wing – and clanked it off the right rim.

“That’s exactly what we wanted,” Smith said. “We run that play in practice a lot. Andre got a good look and nine times out of 10 he makes that. So he had a good look, and he’ll make it the next time.”

Tanner Smith’s 3-pointer cut the lead to 63-61 with 11 seconds left, but Scott made two game-clinching free throws for the final margin.

Clemson held a stunning 30-26 lead at the half, as notable for the feat as the way the Tigers accomplished it.

Virginia shot 50 percent from the field, but Brownell’s crew made 48 percent of its shots and often dictated tempo to the walk-it-up Cavaliers.

A year after scoring just 47 points over 40 minutes of a 49-7 defeat, Clemson was efficient offensively and in the paint despite a smallish roster.

In its last visit here 363 days ago, Clemson scored only 13 first-half points and trailed 29-13 at halftime, making only six of 27 shots.

The Tigers matched that in the first 8:28, trailing Virginia 15-13 at the first media timeout. Clemson made six of its first nine shots, while the Cavaliers made seven of their first nine.

Without junior forward Milton Jennings (suspended for failure to comply with team academic standards), Brownell used a hockey-like two-line system that he employed against Georgia Tech, subbing out five players at a time and employing an aggressive style.

Eventually, Jennings’ absence made an impact; Clemson was outrebounded 34-19, although Brownell attributed it to the fact that the Cavaliers missed so few shots.

Booker picked up some of the slack, scoring 16 points despite four fouls, and Smith added 14 points, four rebounds and three assists.

In the end, however, it was another close loss. The Tigers fell to 1-6 in games decided by five points or less.

“We had some really good effort tonight. It’s one of those one, two possession games we’re on the losing end of,” Smith said. “This is a tough place to come to on the road and win. I’m encouraged with our performance, but we’ve got to get these one, two possession wins.”