Billet does it again
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
February 22, 2004

CLEMSON, S.C. - Another Saturday, another Todd Billet 3-pointer and another win for Virginia.

Billet’s trey with 16 seconds remaining and layup moments later lifted the Cavaliers to a 58-55 victory over Clemson on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The win snapped a nine-game ACC road-losing streak for the Cavaliers, who entered the game having lost 18 of their last 19 ACC road contests. It was the first ACC road victory for UVa since it notched an 86-78 decision at Maryland last Feb. 6.

“These are the moments you want to remember when you are older. The game is on the line and you want to be aggressive and take some chances,” said Billet, whose 3-pointer in the waning seconds last Saturday gave Virginia an 82-80 win over then-No. 15 Georgia Tech. “We ran the play well, everyone was where they needed to be and I was then able to make the shot.”

The shot highlighted what was Billet’s best performance in weeks as he finished with 21 points, five assists and just one turnover. Billet, who last reached double figures with a 26-point effort against Florida State on Jan. 18, connected on five of his nine 3-point attempts on the day.

“Todd obviously made a big shot at the end. We called a play called two-out curl. Donte Minter set a great screen, J.R. Reynolds made the pass and then Todd makes the shot,” said Gillen, whose team improved to 14-10 overall and 4-9 in the ACC.

Billet was the only UVa player in double figures while T.J. Bannister had eight points and Elton Brown, Jason Clark and Minter each added seven.

Olu Babalola had 19 for Clemson (10-14, 3-10 ACC), which was coming off an upset of No. 13 N.C. State here Wednesday.

Clemson held a 28-20 lead after an ugly first half in which both teams shot less than 35 percent from the field. The Tigers held that advantage thanks in large part to a whopping 29-12 margin on the boards.

The Cavaliers, however, responded with a 14-2 run to open the second half, which was fueled by two treys each from Billet and Reynolds. The final shot in the run - a Billet trey - gave the Cavaliers a 34-30 lead with 16:26 remaining.

“They were down at halftime. They were like; ‘here we go again on the road.’ They came out in the second half and got their heads up,” Gillen said. “We played great ‘D’ to begin the second half, we got out on the break and were able to find our shooters in transition. … I really thought those first five minutes of the second half were the key to the game.”

While the spurt certainly got the Cavaliers back into the game, it certainly didn’t win it for them. Far from it.

The game see-sawed the rest of the way with neither team gaining more than a four-point advantage. As the game wound down, however, it seemed Virginia was destined for yet another ACC road loss.

A leaner by Shawan Robinson gave Clemson a 54-51 lead with two minutes left and on Virginia’s ensuing possession a Brown charge gave the ball back to Clemson with 1:21 remaining.

At that point it was the Tigers that self-destructed.

First, they committed a shot-clock violation when three Clemson players failed to corral a loose ball rebound. That gave the ball back to the Cavaliers and a layup by Clark made it 54-53 with 30 seconds left.

Then, Bannister fouled out of the game by grabbing Robinson and the hero of Clemson’s win over N.C. State went to the line but he only managed to hit 1 of 2.

Virginia, with no timeouts remaining, then executed the decisive play to Billet that was designed during the momentary pause caused by Bannister fouling out.

After Billet’s shot, Clemson came down to attempt to win but Chey Christie dribbled the ball off his foot. It was scooped up by Derrick Byars, who fed it to Billet for the uncontested layup. That play was just slightly against his coach’s best wishes.

“I wanted him to dribble the clock out but instead he made the layup with time remaining. They could have still had a catch-and-shoot and tie with a 3-pointer. I was screaming but I don’t think they heard me,” said Gillen, who jumped enthusiastically when the buzzer sounded.

Added Billet: “I should have just dribbled it out and I don’t think there was anyone chasing me but it was just jubilation. I guess I was just excited that we were going to get the win.”

While the game was perceived as a preview of next month’s ACC tournament play-in game - and it still might have been - the win insured Virginia of at least a .500 record that likely will send it to postseason play, the NCAAs or most likely the NIT.

“That is not what our goal is, but it is a small step forward. We are a young team playing five freshmen and a sophomore. We’re not satisfied being 14-10 and our aim is to win as many as we can. Our aim is to have a team that makes the university proud, our fans proud and our community proud,” Gillen said.

Notes. Clemson outrebounded Virginia 47-31. … Virginia junior Devin Smith did not play because of continued pain from a herniated disk in his back. It was the second game in the last four that Smith has missed. … Virginia’s 58 points was the fewest scored in a win during Gillen’s nearly six-year tenure.
 

Billet reaps rewards of unselfishness
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
February 22, 2004

CLEMSON, S.C.
When Todd Billet fired an arrow through 15th-ranked Georgia Tech’s heart on Valentine’s Day, it was the first time he had ever won a basketball game on a last-second shot. Now, it has become a habit.
This time, his 3-point dagger was launched with 16 seconds to play and lifted struggling Virginia to a 56-55 lead over host Clemson. Unlike last Saturday’s winning shot, which came with two remaining ticks of the clock, Billet and his Cavalier teammates had some work to do.
Fitting finish
It was only fitting that after the Tigers’ Chey Christie lost control of the ball while attempting to break through a Virginia double team, that Billet wound up with a breakaway layup with two seconds left to seal the win, 58-55.
An excited Coach Pete Gillen was screaming from the sideline for Billet to dribble out the clock rather than score, eliminating the risk of a Clemson steal and desperate 3-pointer to cheat the reaper. But Gillen’s antics went unnoticed by the Wahoo senior, who was just as excited to finally get the road monkey off Virginia’s back.
Monkey off UVa’s back
It was UVa’s first ACC road win of the season and stopped a frustrating string of 18 losses in the Cavs’ last 19 conference road trips.
How fitting for Billet, perhaps the most unselfish player to wear a Virginia uniform in years, to get the hero’s role for the second time in eight days. The fifth-year player has never given up this season and has faced media, win or lose, after every game.
Out of place
A shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body, Billet has sacrificed some of his dreams this season by playing the point because Gillen needed him there. Now that freshman T.J. Bannister has been weaned and has earned the starting point guard job, Virginia has been able to move Billet back to his natural job of shooting the ball.
He hasn’t disappointed. With the Cavaliers and Tigers in a death duel to avoid last place in the league, Billet stepped up big time with 21 points (5 of 9 from bonusphere), five assists, one turnover in 35 minutes.
Beating the Tigers lifted the Cavs out of a tie for last, giving them a sweep of Clemson and qualified Virginia for postseason play with a 14-10 overall record, 4-9 in the ACC.
“Todd’s been on fire in practice the last couple of days,” Gillen said afterward of his sharpshooter. “He’s been catching and shooting, not hesitating. That was a big shot.”
Out of time outs as is usually the case late in games, Gillen actually drew up the winning play in Virginia’s huddle when Bannister fouled out with 27 seconds to play, the Cavs down 54-53. After Shawan Robinson hit one of two free throws, UVa was down 55-53.
Gillen had called for the play “Two Out Curl,” which required Donte Minter to set a screen for Billet. Gillen hoped the screen would free Billet long enough to get open for a jumper.
“I told Todd that he didn’t need a three, but usually on that play he’s out there pretty deep,” Gillen said.
The play worked to perfection.
“We ran it really well and Donte was right there where he was supposed to be,” Billet said. “That was a great screen Coach drew up in the huddle.”
Clemson’s Christie agreed. He was assigned to Billet but couldn’t stay with the Virginia guard.
“I went with him toward the Virginia bench, but he faked me and lost me momentarily,” Christie said. “I wanted to be on top of him, but he got a little spacing ... and the screen got me. I tried to recover but he just made a tough shot. He made tough shots all game.”
The past month had not been too kind to Billet, a kid who has given Virginia everything. On the floor, he plays as hard as he can. Off the floor, he is a team leader, the model of excellence, the kind of kid that every girl wants to take home to mamma.
He even organizes bone marrow drives in his spare time to help those in need in the Charlottesville community.
While he was the ACC’s most dangerous and most reliable 3-point shooter as a junior, his senior season hasn’t been nearly as productive. The New Jersey product, who transferred to UVa from Rutgers after the 2000-01 season, came into Saturday’s game barely in the ACC’s top 10 in the 3-point catagories.
He also had not scored in double figures in more than a month, having topped out at 26 in a home win over Florida State on Jan. 18. Since then, he had gone eight straight games without hitting double digits.
Couldn’t have picked a better time to break out of that funk as his parents were in attendance at Littlejohn Coliseum along with his uncle, aunt and cousins from Charlotte, N.C.
“I guess when you’re a senior and you look and see there aren’t many games left in your career, a little light bulb comes on and you have to step it up and take some risks,” Billet said afterward. “Those are memories you want to have when you get older.”
Some of Billet’s best memories will be preserved on video tape. Last week’s bomb that beat Georgia Tech was No. 3 on SportsCenter’s Plays of the Day.
“I didn’t even see it, but somebody told me about it,” Billet said.
Saturday’s shot was quite an encore and will probably turn up on a highlight spot.
“The most important thing is the W,” Billet said. “I’ll take that over any top 10 list.”
Spoken like a true hero. His fans are hoping for the true hero’s ending as Billet rides off into the sunset in a blaze of glory. So far, so good.
 

Billet does it again on 3
Todd Billet puts UVa in the lead on a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, then adds a layup to give Virginia a road win.
By Doug Doughty

CLEMSON, S.C. - Todd Billet enjoyed the sensation of hitting his first game-winning shot so much that he seems to be making it a habit.

For the second time in eight days, Billet's late 3-pointer provided the difference Saturday as Virginia beat Clemson 58-55 at Littlejohn Coliseum.

It was the second win in the past 20 ACC road games for the Cavaliers, who were down 28-20 at the half and trailed 55-53 after Shawn Robinson hit one of two free throws for Clemson with 27.8 seconds left.

UVa had used all of its timeouts, but freshman point guard T.J. Bannister had fouled out, which meant that coach Pete Gillen was allotted a minute to select a replacement.

Gillen used the extra time to settle on a play, "two-out curl," that calls for Billet to make a loop from the right wing to the left wing, where freshman post man Donte Minter had set a screen.

Billet took a pass from freshman guard J.R. Reynolds and connected on his fifth 3-pointer of the game and the 301st of his college career, including two seasons at Rutgers.

"You're a senior, you look at the schedule and there's not many games left, and a light bulb goes on," Billet said. "These are memories you'd like to have when you're older, so you've really got to lay it on the line."

Billet's 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left had given Virginia an 82-80 victory over 15th-ranked Georgia Tech a week earlier, but there were 16 seconds remaining Saturday when his shot went through the net.

Clemson junior Chey Christie was preparing to drive to the basket when he dribbled the ball off his leg, with Derrick Byars recovering for the Cavaliers. Byars fed Billet, whose layup gave Virginia a three-point lead with 1.5 seconds left.

"It might be nit-picking," Gillen said, "I was screaming for Todd not to shoot. At the end of a game, you just hold it and the game is over."

It was an interesting choice of words - "nit-picking" - because the victory assured Virginia (14-10, 4-9) no worse than a .500 record through the ACC Tournament, which would make the Cavaliers eligible for the National Invitation Tournament.

"That's not our goal," Gillen said, "but, for a young team, it takes a little pressure off. Beating a top-20 team last week was one step; this was another step today. We've got a lot more steps to go."

The Cavaliers were without second-leading scorer Devin Smith, who dressed but did not play because of a herniated disk, and they scored fewer points than they had in any previous victory during Gillen's six-year tenure.

Virginia presented Gillen with his 100th UVa victory on a day when the Cavaliers shot 39.3 percent from the field, were outrebounded by 16 and barely shot 50 percent (7-of-13) from the free-throw line.

On the flip side, Clemson (10-14, 3-10) shot 33.9 percent from the field and had 15 turnovers, compared with 10 for the Cavaliers.

"Virginia ran [its] patented play with Billet coming off that down screen," first-year Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said. "It's in the scouting report and you know it's there. He's their best outside shooter and he beat us with it."

Billet had not scored in double figures in more than a month, however, and he was scoreless against Georgia Tech before his game-winning shot. He broke out of his slump in a big way Saturday, scoring 21 points and notching five assists in 35 minutes.

"He's not hesitating, just catching and shooting," Gillen said. "Before, he was pump-faking and guys weren't going anywhere."

Olu Babalola, whose free throws gave Clemson a 78-77 victory over UVa last year, had 14 of his 19 points in the second half Saturday and would have been the hero had the Tigers won again.

Clemson was coming off a 60-55 victory over 13th-ranked N.C. State and was 10-4 at home before Saturday.

"Two teams in our conference [Florida State and Clemson] haven't won on the road," said Gillen, whose Cavaliers had lost nine straight ACC road games since an 86-78 triumph last year at Maryland.

"N.C. State has a great team and they didn't win here. North Carolina didn't win here. I'd say it was our biggest win of the year."

 

Billet sinks 3, buries Tigers
By JON SOLOMON
Staff Writer

CLEMSON — Todd Billet’s catch-and-shoot, winning 3-pointer might have sunk Clemson back into the ACC Tournament play-in game.

Almost everything that could have gone wrong did for Clemson in the final minute Saturday, helping Virginia steal a 58-55 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum. Billet’s 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining was followed by two Clemson turnovers, leaving the Tigers stunned and alone in last place.

"I don’t think I’ve ever been this mad after a game in my life — mad, frustrated, upset," forward Olu Babalola said. "We definitely had the game. There’s no way we should have lost this game. This game was there for us to win easily. We didn’t finish right."

Billet, who hit the winning 3-pointer a week ago against Georgia Tech, was a clutch performer again. Virginia (14-10, 4-9 ACC) trailed 55-53 and had no timeouts when Billet came off a screen from the baseline and did what he does best.

"He’s just a gutty little guy," Virginia coach Pete Gillen said of Billet, who made 5-of-9 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points.

Clemson guard Chey Christie wanted to force Billet to the other side of the floor, rather than having an easier catch-and-shoot opportunity. Billet faked to Clemson’s preferred side, rotated back under the basket and used a screen by Donte Minter against Christie to get free on the left wing.

"I got through and I thought I was on top of him, and he just made a tough shot," Christie said. "He just got a little bit of space, and that’s all he needed."

Clemson coach Oliver Purnell was disappointed that Christie was not closer.

"Once (Billet) goes out that side, you simply have to fight through that screen," Purnell said. "I thought (Christie) got through the screen, but I didn’t think he closed out that last few feet, as I saw it. It was almost as if, ‘I’m close enough.’ You’ve got to make him put it on the floor at that point."

Once Billet made the shot, the Tigers had 16 seconds to score but no timeouts. Shawan Robinson, who had scored Clemson’s last five points, had possession and then gave it up to Christie.

Christie attempted to split two defenders at the top of the arc. But the ball deflected off his leg and into the arms of Virginia’s Derrick Byars, who fed Billet for a layup the other way.

"In those situations, I feel like we’ve got to get the spacing just in case somebody can get an open look," Christie said. "I held it for like three or four seconds hoping we could get spacing. I just tried to make something happen because I felt the clock was running down."

Billet’s fast-break layup, putting Virginia ahead 58-55, could have been costly. Rather than running out the clock in the open court, Billet gave Clemson possession again with 2.4 seconds left.

Robinson’s length-of-the-court inbound pass to Sharrod Ford landed out of bounds near the Clemson bench. It typified the way the Tigers (10-14, 3-10 ACC) started and ended the second half.

Clemson led 54-51 and had the ball with less than a minute remaining, but committed a shot-clock violation after two shots did not hit the rim. Virginia’s J.R. Reynolds then shot an air ball that Jason Clark stuck back to pull the Cavaliers within one with 31.7 seconds left.

The Cavaliers immediately fouled Robinson, who missed the first free throw and made the second, setting up Billet’s winning shot. Clemson was 11-of-18 at the line, marking the sixth consecutive game it has shot less than 65 percent on free throws.

"It comes back to bite you sometimes," Purnell said.

So does losing eight-point halftime leads in less than two minutes. The Tigers went in the locker room with momentum and a 28-20 lead, but Virginia started the second half on a 14-2 run.

Billet and Reynolds each made two 3-pointers in the stretch. Clemson missed eight of its first nine shots and called two timeouts before the first television break — timeouts the Tigers wished they had at the end of the game.

Despite outrebounding Virginia 47-31, Clemson was left heartbroken with a tough defeat. The Tigers are essentially two games behind eighth-place Virginia because the Cavaliers swept the season series.

"In a lot of ways, we outplayed them, but they hung in there and kept their poise. ... It hurts, there’s no question about it," Purnell said. "Because you’re right there to saw it away."
 

Billet finishes with flourish
Late 3-pointer and layup enable Virginia to escape ACC cellar
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Feb 22, 2004

CLEMSON, S.C. - Todd Billet drains a 3-pointer in the final seconds, and Virginia runs off the court victorious. Sound familiar?

It should, because Billet is making a habit of such heroics. One week after shooting down then-No. 15 Georgia Tech with a dramatic trey at University Hall, the senior guard did in Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.

"He's a gutty little guy," U.Va. coach Pete Gillen said yesterday after his team's 58-55 victory.

With Virginia trailing 55-53, Billet ran Tigers guard Chey Christie into reserve center VIRGINIA 58 CLEMSON 55Donte Minter's stout pick, broke free on the left wing, caught a pass from J.R. Reynolds and, in one motion, launched a shot from beyond the arc. It dropped through with 16 seconds left to put the Cavaliers up one.

U.Va.'s Derrick Byars then came up with a steal - after Christie lost the ball - and passed to Billet, who hit a layup with 2.4 seconds left. The Tigers turned the ball over on a long inbounds pass, and Billet dribbled out the final 1.5 seconds of the Cavaliers' first ACC road victory of the season.

Virginia (4-9, 14-10) moved out of a tie for last in the ACC and is assured of being eligible for the NIT. Clemson (3-10, 10-14) sits alone in the ACC cellar.

In six seasons under Gillen, the 58 points are the fewest the Cavs have scored in a victory.

"Give Virginia credit for hanging in there and getting the job done," said Oliver Purnell, Clemson's first-year coach.

On a day when the Cavs had to play without their best all-around player, junior forward Devin Smith (back injury), Billet finished with 21 points - his first game in double figures since Jan. 18 - and also had five assists, two rebounds and only one turnover.

That the crowd of 8,900 included several relatives who live in Charlotte, N.C., plus his parents, made the ending even more special for Billet.

"You're a senior and you look at the schedule," he said, "and there's not many games left. Kind of a little light bulb goes on, and you've just got to turn it up a level."

Virginia ended a nine-game losing streak in ACC road games. The Cavaliers' victory yesterday was only their second in their past 20 conference road games, the other win during that span coming at No. 8 Maryland on Feb. 6, 2003.

"Any time you get a win on the road in this league, it's a big deal," Billet said. "Even Duke lost its last two games on the road."

The Cavaliers started three guards - freshman T.J. Bannister at the point, Billet and Reynolds at the wings - and paid the price on the backboards. Clemson outrebounded U.Va. 47-31. At halftime, the margin was greater. The Tigers had 29 boards to a mere 12 for U.Va., and they led 28-20.

Gillen said his players "were down in the locker room at halftime and looked like, 'Oh, here we go again on the road.' But we came out early in the second half and got our heads up."

The Cavaliers, who'd shot 29.6 percent from the floor in the first half, also starting making shots. Virginia opened the second half with a 14-2 run that included two 3-points apiece by Reynolds and Billet. Reynolds' second trey put the Cavaliers ahead 31-30 with 16:55 left, and they didn't relinquish the lead for nearly 11 minutes.

"When we came in at halftime, there wasn't much said," Billet recalled. "I think that guys knew it's all been said, and there wasn't much talking. . . . Guys came out and really stepped up and understood the situation."

Virginia's Elton Brown, who leads the ACC in field-goal percentage, missed 8 of 11 shots from the floor and 4 of 5 from the line. The junior center also had three turnovers, the last of which gave the ball back to Clemson with 1:21 left. But the Tigers turned over the ball on a shot-clock violation, and junior forward Jason Clark's stick-back pulled U.Va. to 54-53 with 31.8 seconds left.

With the shot clock off, U.Va. had to foul, and Bannister's fifth personal sent Clemson guard Shawan Robinson to the line with 27.8 seconds left. Gillen was out of timeouts by then, but he called the play for Billet - Two-out Curl - during a brief conference with his players.

Robinson missed his first free throw, but his second dropped through to make it 55-53. For the game, Clemson shot only 61.1 percent from the line. Junior forward Olu Babalola led the Tigers with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.
 

UVa Men's Lacrosse Opens Season with 15-4 win over Drexel
11 players score in balanced offensive attack.
Feb. 21, 2004
Haverford, Pa.

The University of Virginia men's lacrosse team opened the 2004 season this afternoon with a 15-4 win over Drexel in a game played before an overflow crowd of 2500 at the Haverford School. The win is the Cavaliers' 11th in a row, their longest since a 13-game streak four years ago.

Virginia was remarkably balanced offensively with 11 different players notching goals. Kyle Dixon, Nathan Kenney, Ted Lamade and Matt Ward led the way with two apiece. Dixon and Ward both added assists to share scoring honors with John Christmas (1g, 2a).

The Dragons controlled the ball for most of the game's first four minutes but were unable to squeeze off a shot. A turnover by middie Yoni Cohen gave the Cavaliers their first significant possession and they quickly capitalized as John Christmas beat goalie Ryan Harney from the left side at 10:09. The shot was just Virginia's second of the game. Senior Justin Mullen scored on UVa's next attempt less than a minute later.

Middie Ted Lamade, seeing his first significant action in two years, scored his first goal since 2001 at the 6:41 mark of the first quarter to push the lead to 3-0. By this time Drexel hadn't even taken a shot. Matt Ward tallied with just over four minutes to play in the opening quarter for a 4-0 UVa lead.

Sophomore Jesse Rumble got Drexel on the board early in the second quarter with the first of his two goals. Rumble's goal was the Dragons' lone goal of the first 46 minutes of the game.

The Cavaliers rattled off the next seven goals to build an 11-1 lead going into the fourth quarter. Virginia goalie Tillman Johnson was replaced by Ryan Thompson shortly after giving up a goal to Sean Moloney early in the final quarter. Johnson finished with seven saves. Thompson allowed two goals, including one EMO goal, before giving way to freshman Kip Turner for the final six minutes. Turner stopped two shots.

UVa outshot Drexel 46-29 and was outstanding in transition with 25 successful clears in 27 attempts.

The Cavaliers head west next weekend for their next action. They face Air Force at 1 PM (EST) Saturday and Denver at 3:30 PM (EST) Sunday. Both games will be played at the University of Denver.