Tampa tumble: Villanova upsets Clemson

Clemson blows double-digit lead in first-round to Villanova

TAMPA, FLA. -- In the context of a wild and wacky Friday at St. Pete Times Forum, Clemson was merely a statistic – the fourth and final higher-seeded domino to fall in four games.

But it offered little consolation to the No. 22 Tigers that they were merely the extension of a stunning trend.

Playing its first NCAA Tournament game in a decade, Clemson squandered a huge lead in a 75-69 first-round loss to No. 12 seed Villanova.

Down 18 points and seemingly out of it late in the first half, the Wildcats trimmed it to 12 at halftime and took the lead eight minutes into the second half. Villanova made 11 of 12 free throws in the final 2:25.

Given what unfolded earlier in the day, this shouldn’t have been a surprise.

Steve Nesius/AP

Villanova's Reggie Redding, right, and Shane Clark hug after the team defeated Clemson, 75-69.

No. 5 seed Drake fell to No. 12 seed Western Kentucky. Then No. 13 seed San Diego upset No. 4 seed Connecticut. And then in the first night session, No. 13 seed Siena pummeled No. 4 seed Vanderbilt by 21 points.

After finishing third in the ACC and generating abundant optimism with a run to the ACC Tournament finals, the Tigers (24-10) left Tampa much earlier than they planned. Villanova (21-12), playing in its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, moved on to play Siena on Sunday for the right to advance to the Round of 16.

Fifth-year Tigers coach Oliver Purnell is still winless in four NCAA appearances.

Down eight with 6:11 left, and by seven with 3:44 on the clock, Clemson pulled close thanks largely to offensive rebounds. The Tigers scored on four possessions thanks to offensive boards.

The Tigers tied it at 66 on two free throws by Demontez Stitt. Villanova sank four free throws on its next two possessions to go up four.

Meanwhile, Clemson couldn’t produce on the offensive end when it absolutely had to. Terrence Oglesby badly missed an awkward runner with 1:24 left, and K.C. Rivers missed an open 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining.

Raymond Sykes couldn’t pull down the rebound, and Corey Fisher hit two free throws to put the Wildcats up 72-66 with 35 seconds left.

The Tigers made seven 3-pointers in the first half but missed 14 of 16 after halftime. They also finished 14-of-23 from the free-throw line – all in the second half.

Villanova finished 24-of-29 from the line. Sophomore point guard Scottie Reynolds had a game-high 21 points. Rivers led Clemson with 15

Purnell said coming in that his team was ready in its first NCAA appearance since 1998, and it surely looked like it in the first half.

The Tigers pounced on the Wildcats with their full-court press, scoring 16 points off 10 turnovers and taking a 39-27 lead into halftime.

A 12-3 run early broke open a close game, with Clemson going up 27-12 on a David Potter 3-pointer with 10:28 left. The Tigers pushed it to 18 when Stitt knocked down a transition 3-pointer to make it 36-18 with 5:02 remaining.

Villanova managed to trim it to 12, though, closing the half on a 9-3 run. The Wildcats kept it going to start the second half, using a 9-2 run to trim it to five.

Villanova made it a one-possession game four times over a four-minute span, and each time Clemson responded. But the Wildcats finally took the lead with 11:56 left, after Reynolds banked in a 3-pointer from the wing while being fouled by Cliff Hammonds.

Reynolds didn’t make the free throw, but Villanova was full of confidence thanks to taking its first lead of the game at 50-49.

Clemson retook it on a jumper by Potter the next trip down the floor, but it didn’t hold up. With the score tied at 52, Villanova broke things open with an 11-3 run over 3:50 to push the margin to eight points. The only points by the Tigers over that stretch were three free throws by Oglesby.

Clemson went more than six minutes without a field goal before a jumper by Hammonds made the score 63-57 with 5:08 left. The Tigers’ cause wasn’t helped with starting center Trevor Booker on the bench for the final 6:44. After drawing just one foul in the first half, he picked up five in just over 13 minutes.

The Tigers lost senior forward James Mays when he drew his fifth with 1:37 remaining.

Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com and check out the new Clemson blog at charleston.net/blogs/tiger_tracks/