When the ball left Mia Moore’s hand, it looked like Clemson was about to win the game. When the basketball went through the net, it did win it. Or at least that is what No. 8 seeded Clemson thought.

It’s what everyone thought. The fans in attendance, the announcers, the media and those watching on television.

Moore’s desperation shot from behind the three-point line appeared to have given the Tigers an unbelievable victory over No. 9 Southern Cal Saturday in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.

The Clemson bench cleared. The Tigers mobbed Moore, as it appeared they were advancing to the second round to play rival and top seeded South Carolina.

“Initially, I thought it was good,” Moore said after the game.

But it was not.

Instead, the shot was waved off, as the game went into overtime, where USC’s Jazzy Davidson knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, the second with just over a minute left, to spur the Trojans to a 71-67 win over Clemson.

The officials ruled time had expired before Moore released the shot. The basket was waved off, as was the apparent foul that happened at the same time.

“I really thought I was going to at least get the foul call there and be able to at least go to the foul line,” Moore said.

Moore’s basket would have given Clemson a 64-61 victory, and likely would go down as one of the best game-winning shots in the history of the men’s and women’s tournaments. Instead, it will go down as one of the most heartbreaking moments in the NCAA Tournament’s and Clemson’s history.

“I had no idea (they waved the shot off). I thought they were just reviewing — did she get the shot off in time,” Clemson head coach Shawn Poppie said. “And if not, when did the foul occur. I had no idea that they took a stopwatch over there and tried to clock it from — I had no idea that was going on.

“Obviously, it was a little bit of a shock because we had no clue until that point.”

Poppie admitted it was difficult to get himself and his team wrapped around the idea they were going to overtime instead of celebrating what would have been an historic victory for the program.

“I mean, you try to get in there and motivate them as much as you can. ‘Hey, it’s just going to take an extra five (minutes) to beat them’ because they had just thought they had won,” Poppie said. “Whether they count the basket or Mia goes to the free-throw line and they have no time-outs, everything in their mind is ‘we just won a first-round game.’

“So, for them to have an emotional, I mean, again, just a quick timeout where you just try to motivate them as much as you can.”

Unfortunately, the Tigers, who finished the season 21-12, could not get past the disappointment. They made just one of their six attempts in overtime.

“Let’s prove, that although this might take 45 minutes, ‘we’re the better basketball team.’ It’s easier said than done,” Poppie said. “You can motivate all you want, but there’s a question mark in their minds as they go out there.

“It was very tough. Give Southern Cal credit. I thought they made big, big shots down the stretch, especially there in overtime.”

It was a very disappointing end to what had been a great season for Clemson. The Tigers were picked near the bottom of the ACC in the preseason, and yet, they worked their way into the NCAA Tournament by outhustling and outworking most of their opponents.

“They’ve taken every challenge, every up and down as the season has gone on, and there’s never an excuse,” Poppie said. “It’s ‘what do I have to be better at? What can I do better? How can I love on my team better?’ And when you have a team like that, it is just so much fun to coach.

“So, you’re heartbroken for them. As a coach, can I just get them one more possession, so we get a chance to play another day.”

The Tigers were one tenth of second from doing just that, unfortunately, that was too much time.

Below is the official ruling from the game officials, per the NCAA:

“Under the rule for a mandatory replay review (Rule 11-2.1.a.3), officials must use
replay to determine whether a foul was committed before the reading of zeroes on
the game clock. The determining factor as to when the foul occurred is when the
officials observe the illegal contact, not the official’s signal for a foul or contact that
is not yet illegal (Approved Ruling 2-4, 2025-26 NCAA Women’s Basketball Case
Book). When reviewing plays involving last-second shots, officials are to review
the play from its start (the throw-in) through the conclusion of the play. If during a
replay review involving plays impacted by the game and/or shot clock, officials
must ascertain whether the appropriate clock(s) started or stopped properly. When
a clock in question does not start properly, the officials shall time the play to
determine whether it occurred before or after the expiration of time. Officials may
use an embedded stopwatch or a handheld digital stopwatch to time the sequence,
but must ensure the video is playing at real speed (2025-26 CCA Manual
4.7.C4.C). At replay, the officials determined that the illegal contact (foul) occurred
after the expiration of time. The made basket could not be scored as the try was
not released prior to the expiration of time and the fourth quarter ended in a tie
score, sending the game to overtime.”