NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : EAST REGIONAL REGIONAL : UConn Gets Miracle at Meadowlands

By THOMAS BONK

March 23, 1990 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Ninety-four feet and one second away from defeat, Connecticut hit a home run.

“We thought we had the game,” said Clemson’s Derrick Forrest.

After 39 minutes and 59 seconds, they did. Then a length-of-the-court inbounds pass from Scott Burrell, a pitcher for the Huskies’ baseball team, landed in Tate George’s hands.

“Shoot, shoot,” screamed Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun.

In one motion, George spun around and drilled a 15-foot jumper as time ran out and the Huskies scored an improbable 71-70 East Regional victory Thursday night to move within one win of the Final Four.

As Connecticut players streamed onto the court, Calhoun jumped and clenched his fists while stunned Clemson players stood motionless.

Clemson Coach Cliff Ellis put his hands on his hips and pursed his lips as George’s shot dropped through the hoop with the buzzer sounding.

“I guess we tasted the thrill of victory and if you play long enough, the agony of defeat,” he said.

Connecticut (31-5) will play Duke (27-8), a 90-81 winner over UCLA, in Saturday’s regional final.

How the Huskies got there was nothing short of miraculous.

David Young’s three-point basket with 11 seconds left had given upstart Clemson a 70-69 lead over the top-seeded Huskies.

After George missed badly on a drive, Sean Tyson rebounded for Clemson and was fouled with 1.6 seconds left. But Tyson missed the first of a one-and-one free throw opportunity and Burrell called time out as he rebounded the ball.

In the Connecticut sideline huddle, Calhoun told his team that it still had time. He diagramed an inbounds play that he calls “home run.” George and Chris Smith took off from midcourt as Burrell threw over the outstretched hands of 6-11 Clemson center Elden Campbell.

George caught the ball with his back to the basket and Tyson closest to him. As George went up to shoot, Tyson leaned away to avoid a foul and George was not contested.

“The surprising thing was when I turned, he backed off,” George said. “In my head and in my heart, I wanted to stroke it as best I could. I lost vision of the ball.

“But I heard the crowd roar and saw people on the court so I knew it went in.”

For Clemson, first-time champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference, it was a crushing end to a 26-9 season that featured a seven-point comeback victory over Brigham Young in the last three minutes and a 16-point comeback victory over La Salle in the NCAA tournament.

The Huskies led, 67-53, with 6:53 left before Ellis called for a full-court press that enabled the Tigers to catch up in a hurry.

Clemson forced four consecutive turnovers and outscored Connecticut, 12-0, to get within 67-65 with 3:37 left. When Young’s rainbow three-pointer fell through, the Tigers led for the first time since the opening minutes.

“The thing that hurt us was their press and the thing that got them was our press,” Ellis said.

On Connecticut’s next possession, George drove from the top of the free throw line and missed badly. He would think about that missed shot one more time.

“I was really upset because I realized for the first time my career was coming to an end,” George said. “With one second left, it’s kind of hard to put it in perspective.”

Burrell, who was a first-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners but chose to stay at Connecticut, threw a perfect pass.

“He’s a pitcher and he threw a strike,” Ellis said.

Television replays of the last play showed the ball had left George’s hands before the buzzer sounded.

“It’s tough, pretty tough,” Ellis said.

George, who backed up Smith’s 23 points with 12 of his own, hit nothing but net on his final shot.

“It was a magnificent shot by a magnificent player,” Calhoun said.

As expected, Clemson proved to be strong inside with Campbell and 6-11 Dale Davis, who combined for 30 points and 25 rebounds. But the pressing Connecticut defense forced 20 turnovers and came up with one play for which there was no defense.

Burrell’s game-winning pass was his only assist of the game.

“Games are not 39 minutes and 59 seconds,” Calhoun said. “Games are 40 minutes long.”