McNeese State narrowly escapes Clemson after nearly blowing 24-point lead for March Madness' first big upset

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McNeese's upset over No. 5 Clemson was over early … until it wasn't.

The 12th-seeded Cowboys dominated Clemson for a large majority of the game on Thursday, leading by as many as 24 in the second half, but they only managed to squeak by with a 69-67 victory.

Clemson could not find the bottom of the rim in the first half, being held to 13 points and 1-for-15 from three. As for McNeese, they put up 31 in the first 20 minutes, and roughly five minutes into the second half, they led 40-16.

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McNeese State forward Bryant Selebangue (9) celebrates with guard Quadir Copeland after defeating Clemson on Thursday. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)

With 8:07 in the game, a three-pointer from Brandon Murray gave McNeese a 51-29 lead, but give all the credit to the Tigers for not calling it quits.

From then on, McNeese went cold and Clemson got hot. Clemson went on a 38-18 run to close the game. McNeese even led by 12 with less than a minute left, but Clemson knocked down four straight 3-pointers to make it a three-point game with 12 seconds to go.

With 10 seconds left, Javohn Garcis went to the line and made one of his two free throws, making it a four-point game. The three-pointer streak ended, and the clock expired after a layup, turning what was a blowout into an exciting thriller at the end.

McNeese State forward Christian Shumate (24) celebrates with guard Quadir Copeland after defeating Clemson. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)

TENSIONS RUN HIGH DURING MARCH MADNESS GAME AS FAN THROWS WATER BOTTLE ON COURT

It was the first big upset of the tournament. No. 9 Creighton defeated No. 8 Louisville earlier in