NC State Defeats Clemson 63-55 in Women’s Basketball

Jan. 20, 2003

RALEIGH, NC – Alvine Mendeng scored 20 points and had seven rebounds in leading N.C. State to a 63-55 win over N.C. State in an Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball game at Raleigh, NC Monday night. Mendeng was 8-12 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line.

With the win, N.C. State improves to 8-8 overall, 3-2 in the ACC. Clemson falls to 10-6 overall and 2-3 in league play. Clemson was led in scoring by Chrissy Floyd with 16 points and Leah Roper who finished with nine.

In tonight’s game, Clemson’s Chrissy Floyd went over the 1,700 career-point mark. She is in third place on the Clemson career list with 1,706 career points. She is 89 points behind Janet Knight who had 1,795 points in the 1982-86 seasons. Knight is in second place on the Lady Tiger career list for most points scored. Barbara Kennedy is Clemson’s and the ACC’s all-time leading career scorer with 3,113 points during the 1978-82 season.

The Lady Tigers dominated the boards, outrebounding the Wolfpack 42-29. Clemson was led in rebounding by Roper and Amanda White as both players had eight boards each.

In the first half, N.C. State built a five-point lead 22-17 with 3:32 left as Amelia Labador hit a layup after a Clemson turnover. The Wolfpack women had another five-point lead, 25-20 with 1:45 left as Labador hit a three point basket from the left corner. Clemson scored the next five points as Julie Talley hit a three-point basket from the left side with :23 second left to even the score 25-25 at intermission.

In the first half, Clemson shot 11-32 from the field for a .344 pct. while N.C. State was 10-24 from the field for a .417 mark. Clemson scored the first field goal of the second half with a jumper by Floyd with 19:40 left to go in the game. N.C. State scored six unanswered points to built a 31-27 lead with 17:01 left on the clock. Clemson scored its next field after going scoreless in 3:50. Alvine Mendeng scored 14 of the Wolfpack’s first 16 points in the second half as N.C. State went on a 16-8 run and built a 41-33 lead with 12:42 left.

Clemson narrowed the N.C. State lead to four, 45-41 with 8:30 left to go, but this would be the closest the Lady Tigers would come and the Wolfpack women maintained at least a five point lead in the rest of the game. N.C. State shot 8-21 in the second half (.381). For the game, the Wolfpack women finished 18-45 from the floor for a .400 mark. Clemson shot 11-28 in the second half for a .393 figure. The Lady Tigers were 22-60 from the field for a .367 mark in the game.

“My congratulation goes to N.C. State,” said Clemson Head Coach Jim Davis. “They out-hustled us and wanted the game more than we did. I was pleased with our effort on the defensive end in the first half. We sent them to the line too many times in the second half.”

“It was another great win for us,” said N.C. State Coach Kay Yow. “This league is so competitive. I felt like we really took our defense to another level. Clemson is a tough team. We would like to have done a better job rebounding. I thought the players hung in there and didn’t quit.” Clemson will play at Georgia Tech on Thursday in the Lady Tigers’ next action.