Tigers Fall In Final Seconds To Hokies, 59-57

Jan. 15, 2005

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) – Carlos Dixon hit a breakaway dunk with 6.9 seconds to play to give Virginia Tech its first Atlantic Coast Conference win, 59-57 over Clemson Saturday afternoon.

Dixon stole the ball from Vernon Hamilton with 12 seconds left and broke free to score the winning basket for the Hokies (8-6, 1-2).

Zabian Dowdell led the Hokies with 15 points, Jamon Gordon added 14, Dixon had 12 and Deron Washington 10.

The Tigers (10-6, 1-3) failed to convert on a 3-point attempt as time ran out.

The teams were tied at 55 with 2:08 left. Dowdell hit a jumper that gave the Hokies the lead, but the Tigers tied it again with a pair of foul shots by Cliff Hammonds.

Sharrod Ford led the Tigers with 16 points and nine rebounds. Hammonds added 12 for Clemson, which led most of the game and held a 32-25 halftime advantage.

The Hokies grabbed their first lead of the second half, 55-53, when Washington completed a 3-point play with a free throw at the 2:30 mark.

Clemson shot 58 percent, hitting 14 of 24 from field goal range in the first half, but cooled down after the break and finished with 48 percent shooting for the game. Tech shot 38 percent in the first half and 39 percent for the game.