CLEMSON, S.C. -- In the game's closing seconds, Virginia sophomore guard Keith Jenifer had an open look from beyond the arc, spotting up on the right wing.
Unfortunately, his shot narrowly missed, bouncing off the back rim and costing the Cavaliers both the game and a chance to pick up a rare road win in the conference.
Jenifer entered the game having made 10 of his last 14 three-pointers, but was held to 0-for-4 shooting from the floor and only one point in Saturday's loss. Virginia fell to 10-5 overall and 1-3 in the ACC while the surprising Clemson Tigers are now 11-2 and 1-2 in the conference.
Virginia held a one-point lead with 5.7 seconds to go when sophomore forward Elton Brown was called for a foul on Clemson forward Olu Babalola. Babalola, a 68 percent free-throw shooter and previously 1-for-3 in the game, sunk both shots to give Clemson the lead and the eventual win.
Babalola's strong second half gave the Tigers a needed push. He contributed all nine of his points and four rebounds in the second frame while also working to shut down red-hot Virginia guard Todd Billet on the Cavaliers' last few possessions.
"Olu [Babalola] was not having a good first half," Clemson coach Larry Shyatt said. "He not only came back and made a switch with three and a half to go, Olu did what he had to do on Billet. Although Billet made a great shot down the home stretch, those three possessions before that, he knew there was a pretty agile 6'6" guy guarding him."
On Virginia's penultimate possession, Billet had come off a screen and hit a fade-away three-point shot with 33 seconds to go to give Virginia the lead, 77-76. Billet led the Cavaliers with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including hitting seven of 11 three-point attempts.
Though Virginia shot very well from the floor -- a staggering 59.2 percent -- the Cavaliers struggled from the free throw line, making only nine of 16 attempts and only five of 10 in the second half.
In addition, Virginia gave Clemson numerous chances, allowing the Tigers to shoot 55.4 percent and yielding 14 turnovers that resulted in 21 Tiger points. The big, physical Clemson team also outbattled Virginia inside, scoring 46 points in the paint compared to Virginia's 32.
"The game shouldn't have been that close," Brown said. "We've got to learn from our mistakes -- wrap the game up, hit the big shot, get some stops, and free throws."
Virginia's defense had difficulty stopping Clemson down the stretch. Clemson guard Chey Christie scored a team-high 16 points. Christie consistently penetrated Virginia's porous zone. He hit two short jumpers in the final two minutes to complete Clemson's small comeback, tying the game at 74 and then taking the lead.
"I'm disappointed we couldn't get the stops when we needed to," Virginia Coach Pete Gillen said. "Our offense was excellent, but our defense needs work -- a little more effort and a little more execution. We've got to work a little harder."
All three of Virginia's conference losses have come on the road in a conference where road teams have managed a paltry 3-12 record.
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