Tigers Fall Just Shy of First ACC Title
5th-seeded Clemson faces Villanova in first round of NCAA Tournament
By Zack Mauldin
Sports Editor
Updated: March 19, 2008, 10 a.m.
CHARLOTTE - After one of the most successful regular seasons in Clemson history, five points is all that stood between the Tigers and their first-ever ACC Tournament Championship on Sunday.
A day after beating Duke in the tournament semifinals, the Tigers’ first win over the 
Blue Devils in more than a decade, Clemson dropped the title game to No. 1 North Carolina, 86-81.
The Tigers, who dominated Boston College 82-48 in Friday night’s quarterfinals, were playing in their first ACC Championship game since they lost to Wake Forest in 1962.
Against Boston College on Friday night, the game was never really in question, as the Tigers led by as many as 24 points in the first half before stretching their lead in the second half to 38 with under a minute to play. The Tigers scored 38 points off 22 Eagle turnovers in the game.
Senior James Mays scored 15 to lead the Tigers, while Raymond Sykes came off the bench to add 12. The blowout allowed coach Oliver Purnell to play everyone on his roster.
The easy win over the Eagles gave Clemson its first berth in the conference semifinals in a decade.
After a back-and-forth first half between the Tigers and Blue Devils, Clemson led for more than 18 minutes in the second half.
Mays had two three-point plays down the stretch, helping turn a 56-56 tie into a 67-60 Clemson lead with under four minutes to play.
Duke got back to within two points after Greg Paulus hit a three-pointer with 47 seconds to play, but rather than allow the No. 7 Blue Devils to get the comeback win, the Tigers stepped up their game for the final minute.
Senior captain Cliff Hammonds, who Thursday was named winner of the first-ever Skip Prosser Award for the top scholar-athlete in ACC basketball, came through big in the clutch, going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute. Hammonds had averaged under 50 percent from the charity stripe.
After Hammonds stretched the Tigers’ lead back to four following Paulus’ three, fellow senior Sam Perry hit a free throw, then stole the ball from Duke’s DeMarcus Nelson and got a pass off to K.C. Rivers, who hit a layup on a fast break to put Clemson up seven with 10 seconds left, sending the Tiger faithful in Bobcats Arena into an uproar.
... See the rest of the story in this week's Courier, Page 1C
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