Nov. 29, 2006
Box Score
Clemson, S.C. -
D'Lesha Lloyd and Lele Hardy each recorded double-doubles and Clemson withstood a Furman second half rally as the Tigers defeated the Lady Paladins 67-62 on Wednesday night in front of 1,341 at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Furman, looking for its second straight win at Clemson, placed three players in double-figures, but could not overcome a 10-for-25 effort from the free throw line in the second half.
The Lady Paladins entered the game shooting 66 percent from the free throw line on the season, and had shot better than 81.3 percent from the charity stripe in each of the last three contests. Furman finished the game 13-for-29 from the line, for a season-low 44.8 percent.
Lloyd led Clemson with 16 points and 13 rebound, while Hardy added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers.
Courtney Opie scored a career-high 19 points for Furman. The sophomore from Powder Springs, Ga. made 8-of-12 shots from the field and 3-for-6 from the line. Chrissy Phelps added ten points to go along with a team-high nine rebounds. Lee Stephens also reached double-figures for Furman with ten points.
Trailing 27-24 at the half, Furman scored four straight points in the first minute of the second half to grab a 28-27 lead. Clemson responded with a 14-0 run, as Furman could not score over the next five minutes. The Tiger lead grew to as many as 16 when Tasha Taylor's jumpshot made the score 47-31 with 12 minutes remaining.
Furman battled back, cutting the lead to five points on three occasions, but could not get any closer as the Tigers held on for their third win of the season.
Clemson held a 36-20 advantage in points in the paint, while Furman edged the Tigers 17-14 in points off turnovers. Clemson snared 16 offensive rebounds, converting them into 19 second chance points.
With the win, Clemson improves to 3-4 overall this season, while Furman evens its record at 3-3 with the loss. The Lady Paladins are back in action on Saturday as Furman plays host to Coastal Carolina at 1:30 p.m. in Timmons Arena.
