Florida State lost twice to Clemson during the regular season, but with their ACC Tournament meeting on the line saw its best player make the decisive free throw in a 67-66 victory.

The free throw by forward Al Thornton came after a foul call even the senior admitted he did not expect.

“Really, I thought it was going to go overtime,” Thornton said of the ACC Tournament opener. “I was kind of shocked I got the call.”

So was the Clemson contingent, which likely saw its NCAA hopes dashed. “That was a very difficult way to lose a basketball game,” Clemson coach Oliver Purnell said as his team fell to 21-10. “That’s one of the toughest losses. Sorry it came down to that.”

In a game that saw 22 lead changes, No. 8 Clemson held a 66-61 edge with 4 minutes and 3 seconds to go. But, as happened repeatedly throughout the contest, the Tigers could not stand prosperity. They failed to score again, and ended the came by committing consecutive turnovers before a desperation heave at the buzzer.

FSU was not much better, allowing Clemson to make half its shots and to control the boards. Florida State had 14 turnovers and only six assists on 27 field goals, reflective of an offensive heavily dependent on individual moves. That worked for Thornton after Clemson’s second, fatal turnover.

Following a charge by guard K.C. Rivers, ninth-seed FSU regained possession and ran down the shot clock in search of a good look. Finding none, with time running out forward Ryan Reid threw up an off-balance jumper, which was stuffed and caught by Clemson forward Trevor Booker, who finished with a team-high 18 points, 9 rebounds and four blocks.

Any relief was short-lived, as a pass to guard Cliff Hammonds went off his leg and into the backcourt, resulting in an over-and-back violation with 8.3 seconds left. FSU understandably got the ball to Thornton, the All-ACC forward. He headed to the basket, pump-faked, and was fouled by Rivers with 1.5 seconds to go.

Thornton, the best foul shooter on the ACC’s top foul shooting team, missed his first attempt. “I was kind of nervous there,” Thornton admitted. “I’ve never been in that situation before.”

Stepped away from the line, Thornton took a deep breath, stepped up and sank his second attempt for his 25^th point. That sealed Florida State’s 20^th win of the year against 11 losses.

Next up, top seed North Carolina. Thornton made one guarantee for that game that’s sure to hold. He predicted a sellout, a given at the ACC Tournament since 1966.