Rick Byrd admits there's no magic potion to apply when a team is down, apparently hopelessly, and time is running out on a chance for a comeback. "Sometimes," the Belmont coach says, "it's just fate."
Whether fate, luck, perseverance or the answer to a prayer, Byrd's Bruins just about wrote the book on comebacks Friday when they rallied from a 75-57 deficit with 3:27 to play and stunned Campbell 87-84.
"The mentality of the two teams in a situation like that is entirely different," Byrd says. "When you've got the lead, you don't want to shoot quickly, and you don't want to foul. You almost have to play conservatively with a big lead. It's a sense of protectionism and conservatism against a sense of urgency. We had nothing to lose."
Belmont's stunning rally was one of several eye-opening comebacks in recent days.
Hokies coach Seth Greenberg says a little psychology, as well as some strategy, is sometimes needed to overcome such a deficit and make sure the players continue to compete.
"You try to paint a picture (for the players) of how you're going to get back in the game," Greenberg says. "You try to show them a scenario where you can get it from 16 to 10, then from 10 to five with four or five minutes to go."
In Belmont's rally, Campbell missed 11 of 20 free throws after taking the 18-point lead. But the Bruins got quite hot at the same time, scoring 30 points in the last 3:27, a pace that would have had them post 348 points in a 40-minute game. After going 2-for-24 from three-point range for the first 36 minutes, the Bruins made six of their final eight beyond the arc.
Matthew Dotson's three-pointer with 21 seconds left gave Belmont an 85-84 lead, its first advantage since 2-0.
"In over 30 years of coaching, I don't recall a game (that was lost) with that large a lead and that little time left," Byrd says. "It was a fun game to win, and it was the happiest our locker room has been all year. None of our players will ever forget it, and unfortunately for Campbell, they won't either. I felt sorry for them."
"Getting stops is the big thing. If you trade baskets, you're not going to come back." The Hokies held the Wolfpack to one field goal in the final 9:51 of regulation.
RECENT COME FROM BEHIND VICTORIES
Binghamton trailed Vermont by 25 early in the second half Feb. 4 before roaring back to win 85-83.
Cincinnati had only 21 points with 17:46 to play in regulation Saturday against Georgetown, then outscored the Hoyas 43-29 the rest of the way for a 64-62 overtime win.
The same day, Duke came from 16 down in the second half to beat Miami 78-75 in overtime.
Florida State trailed Clemson 44-25 with 15 minutes left Saturday before storming to a 65-61 win.
Missouri rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit in Monday's 62-60 victory against Kansas.
Virginia Tech was down by 18 in the second half Sunday against North Carolina State before earning a 91-87 overtime victory.
Your mindset makes all the difference. A team is never whipped until they give up in their own minds.
4:13
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