Lady Tigers Drop Overtime Thriller To Florida State, 80-72

Feb. 19, 2006

CLEMSON, SC -In their final game at Littlejohn Coliseum, Lady Tiger seniors Lauren Allen, Amanda Frist, and Julie Talley helped their team force an overtime thriller against Florida State. The Seminoles, however, outscored Clemson, 17-9, in the extra period to spoil Clemson’s Senior Day and claim the 80-72 victory on Sunday afternoon. The loss dropped the Lady Tigers to 8-18 overall, 2-10 in the ACC, while Florida State improved to 17-8 on the year with an 8-4 mark in conference action.

Trailing 63-60 with less than three seconds remaining in regulation, Frist hit a jumper in the paint and was fouled on the play. She converted her free throw and a Seminole last-second desperation heave was off target to send the game to overtime.

Florida State’s Ganiyat Adeduntan hit a jumper and Alicia Gladden made a lay-up within the first 40 seconds of the overtime period to put their team up by four. After a Frist basket, Adeduntan drained three-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Seminoles an eight-point lead. The Lady Tigers cut the deficit to four points at 72-76 with 27 seconds remaining on Talley’s fourth three of the afternoon, but Florida State converted four free throws in the final 25 seconds to post the win.

Adeduntan scored a game-high 23 points while Gladden posted a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

Sophomore Maxienne White led the Clemson squad with her seventh double-double performance of the season, totaling 18 points and tying her career high with 13 rebounds. Seniors Frist and Talley also scored in double figures. Frist tied her season high with 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds, while Talley was 4-6 from three-point range for 12 points.

Clemson battled back from a jittery start to the game and took advantage of poor first-half shooting by the Seminoles to take a lead into halftime. A jumper by Adrianne Bradshaw at the 12:06 mark put the Lady Tigers ahead 15-14. Clemson then went up by as many as seven points at the 8:46 mark of the first half, but the Seminoles held the Lady Tigers scoreless for the next four minutes to come within two points at 21-19. Clemson held onto its lead and was ahead 27-24 at the break.

Florida State then opened the second half with a three pointer by Adeduntan to tie the score at 27 apiece. Talley responded with a three of her own to put the Lady Tigers back in front. After a lay-up by Seminole Shante Williams knotted the score at 36-36, Florida State outscored the Lady Tigers 15-4 in the next four and a half minutes to claim its largest lead of the game.

Clemson then went on a run of its own, bettering the Seminoles by a 20-4 margin from the 9:54 mark to 3:28 to take a five-point lead in the game. White nailed a jumper at the same time the Seminoles fouled away from the ball, giving the ball back to the Lady Tigers. White then scored two more points on a put-back off a D’Lesha Lloyd missed shot to put Clemson within five. Susan Yenser hit a three-pointer from the corner to tie the game at 55-55 with 4:45 remaining. Tasha Taylor then stole the ball from a Florida State player and dished it Talley for a three that gave Clemson the lead.

The Seminoles regained a one-point lead with a basket by Gladden and went up three before Frist’s three-point play at the end of the second period.

The Lady Tigers will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 23 when they will face the Maryland Terrapins. Clemson and Maryland will begin play at 7:00 PM at the Comcast Center in College Park, MD.