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Furman Suffers 82-55 Loss To Clemson
Nov. 30, 2005
GREENVILLE, South Carolina - The dynamic duo of speed and seniority came to Timmons Arena in the form of the Clemson women's basketball team Wednesday night and handed Furman an 82-55 loss on the Lady Paladins' home court.
"We had four freshman and a sophomore in the game near the end tonight and I think it showed," said Furman coach Sam Dixon. "We are a work in progress with the age of our team and they have four seasoned seniors in their starting lineup."
The first shot of the game, a jumper by Furman freshman Katie Johnson, was blocked by Amanda Frist and it was excellent foreshadowing for the remainder of the game. The Tigers went on to block nine more shots in the first half alone, and 16 in the game, while Furman continued to push the ball into the post with little reward.
In addition, Furman suffered through a first-half field goal drought that lasted from the 12:27 mark, when Melynda Gant sank a jumper off an offensive rebound, until 7:16, when freshman Maggie McKemie grabbed the rebound off a Chrissy Phelps jumper and laid it in to make the score 24-12. A Carrie Whitehurst three-pointer just 16 seconds later put the Clemson lead at 15, and seven minutes later the Tigers took a 38-22 advantage into the halftime break.
Furman got possession to start the second half, but an immediate steal by Clemson's Tasha Taylor was parlayed into a Clemson layup and the Tiger lead was stretched to 18. Clemson's lead reached 30 on an Adrianne Bradshaw jumper at 13:05. Though the Lady Paladins took good care of the ball, making just six second half turnovers, they were able to cut into the Tiger lead only slightly, eventually losing by 27 to fall to 2-2 on the year.
"That was by far the best we have played all year," said first year Clemson coach Cristy McKinney after the Tigers moved to 2-5 on the season. "Our help defense was much better and a lot of those blocked shots came on rotation. We played hard for all 40 minutes."
Phelps was the only Lady Paladin in double digits Wednesday night, scoring 10 on 4 for-13 shooting from the field and a 1-for-2 night at the line. Tommi Paris contributed nine points while Jessica Lange totaled six. The Lady Paladins were outrebounded by Clemson 50-36.
Four Tigers scored in double figures in the win, including Phillips, who tallied a team-best 17 points and six assists. McKinney praised her senior guard after the game. "She has played well the last two games. She is quick and athletic and is a big help to us when she is playing well."
Furman goes on the road with a 2 p.m. game on Saturday at Coastal Carolina, while Clemson hosts UCLA Saturday at 7 p.m.
