CLEMSON, S.C. -- For someone who claims to have never hit a collegiate game-winning shot prior to this season, senior Todd Billet sure seems to be good at it.
Billet hit his second game-winning three-pointer in less than a week Saturday afternoon to beat the Clemson Tigers (10-14, 3-10 ACC) by a score of 58-55. The performance earned Virginia (14-10, 4-9) its first conference road victory of the season.
Trailing by two points with 27.6 seconds to play, Billet brought the ball up the court, fully knowing the final shot would be in his hands. After a pass to freshman J.R. Reynolds, Billet circled around a well-placed screen by freshman Donte Minter, received the ball back from Reynolds and drained a three with 12 seconds left on the clock.
With the Cavaliers leading by one, sophomore Derrick Byars stole the ball on an errant Tiger inbound and passed to an open Billet. The senior captain sped down court and laid the ball in when simply running the clock out would have sufficed, sealing the three-point Virginia victory.
In a matchup of the ACC's 8th and 9th ranked teams, Virginia triumphed despite periods where both the offense and defense struggled. The first half resembled the poor-shooting early-season contest between Virginia and Clemson with both teams shooting under .350 from the floor. Trailing 28-20 at halftime, the Cavaliers knew a change of mindset was in order.
"When we came in at halftime, there wasn't much said," Billet said. "I think guys knew what had to be done. They came out and stepped up. They really understood the situation. That's asking a lot from a team as young as ours."
Following its unusually quiet halftime, Virginia climbed back into the lead with a 14-2 run to start the half. After hitting only one three in the first period, Billet and Reynolds provided the Cavaliers with a much-needed offensive lift behind a combined six second-half treys.
Despite Virginia's gallant second-half effort, Clemson refused to go down easily. In particular, junior Olu Babalola exploded with 15 points, many of which were the result of powerful offensive rebounds. At times, the Cavaliers appeared to have no answer for the 6'6" Babalola who led the Tigers in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
"I have to praise Babalola," Gillen said. "He's got a giant heart. He grabs offensive boards and puts them back."
The Clemson big man dominated the second period of play, but in the end, it was Virginia's senior guard who refused to let his team falter. After suffering through a sub-par first half of the ACC schedule, Billet has rebounded significantly with his first 20-point effort since Jan. 18 against Florida State.
"When you are a senior and you look at the schedule and there are not many games left, a little light bulb goes on," Billet said. "You just have to turn it up a level. These are memories you want to have when you are older. So you have to lay it on the line."
In addition to being their first ACC road win, the Cavaliers are now eligible for any of the post-season tournaments due to the guarantee of finishing above .500.
"It takes a little pressure off, but we want to win as many as we can," Gillen said. "We want to make our University, community, and fans proud of us. So we are not satisfied right now being 14-10."
However unsatisfied the team may be, there is no denying a load has been lifted off a Virginia squad that had not won an away game in its own conference since last season at Maryland. The Cavaliers will try and make this game's momentum carry over to the next when they face off against UNC at home Tuesday night.
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