Clemson's Heartbreaking NCAA Loss

0:00On March 22nd, Clemson's Women's Basketball team suffered a tough 71-67 overtime loss to Savinkow in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The eighth-seated Tigers were tied at 61, with 4.4 seconds left in regulation, holding the ball for a full court chance to win it at home. Senior Guard Mia Moore lost a three-pointer at the buzzer that had everyone celebrating, but officials reviewed it and ruled the shot came too. Late, earlier in the sequence, a referee signaled a foul on Southern Cow's player during Moore's attempt, which could have sinned her to the free-throw line. Instead, the crew used the stopwash to time Clemson's final possession and determined the whistle blue after the clock hit zero. Video confirmed the ball was still in Moore's hands when time expired, wiping out both the basket and the foul call with no time-house left for the Trojans. Coaches and players on Clemson's side were stunned by the review process. Second-year-old coach Sean Poppy said he had no idea they'd manually time the possession,

1:03calling it a shock after his team rushed the court, thinking they'd won. Moore believed she'd at least get free-throws, especially as a strong shooter from the line. In overtime, Southern Cow pulled ahead with 10-6 scoring, sparked by freshman Jazzy Davidson's key threes down the stretch. It was Clemson's first NCAA appearance since 2019, and they fought hard, but couldn't overcome the late heartbreak. Southern Cow moves on to face top-seated South Carolina in the second round on Monday, while Clemson heads home proud of their gritty effort in the game, decided by a fraction of a second.