March 5, 1999
CLEMSON LADY TIGERS, 24-5 Overall, 11-5 in the ACC – 1999 Atlantic Coast Conference Champions
NATIONAL RANKINGS – The Lady Tigers are ranked 13th in both the Associated Press and USA Today polls.
Clemson has been ranked as high as 10th in both polls which tied a school record for the highest the Lady Tigers have been ranked during the regular season.
CLEMSON RECEIVES 12TH NCAA TOURNAMENT BID – Clemson received its 12th NCAA Tournament bid since the NCAA Tournament was started in 1982. Clemson received the automatic bid by winning the 1999 ACC Championship.
Head Coach Jim Davis has led Clemson to 11 NCAA Tournaments appearances in his 12 years at Clemson.
The Lady Tigers have a 10-12 record in the NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Jim Davis is 10-11 in the NCAA Tournament over the years.
PROBABLE LINEUP
Forward--#24 Nikki Blassingame, 6-3, SR, 10.3 ppg., 7.9 rpg.Forward--#50 Natasha Anderson, 6-2, SR, 12.4 ppg., 6.4 rpg.Center--#44 Joanie Mungro, 6-2, JR, 4.8 ppg., 4.4 rpg.Guard--#25 Itoro Umoh, 5-7, SR, 13.0 ppg., 5.4 rpg., 5.7 apg.Guard--#33 Amy Geren, 5-11, SR, 14.1 ppg., 3.3 rpg.Head Coach Jim Davis--257-115 at Clemson (in his 12th year), 276-123 career (in his 13th year)
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Clemson’s NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1982, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 NCAA FINAL EIGHT: 1991
NCAA FINAL 16: 1989, 1990, 1991
CLEMSON AND NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY – Clemson played in the first NCAA women’s tournament in 1982 against Penn State. Because of the day and time it was played, the Clemson-Penn State game was the first ever NCAA women’s tournament game. The Lady Tigers lost the game 96-75. In the Clemson-Penn State game, former Lady Tiger assistant coach and Clemson great, Barbara Kennedy-Dixon scored the first points in the inaugural women’s NCAA basketball tournament in the Penn State game. Kennedy-Dixon hit a five-foot turn around jump shot from the baseline with 19:20 left in the first half. Kennedy-Dixon finished the game with 43 points, which still ranks third for a single-game scoring performance in the NCAA tournament.
CLEMSON-1999 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS – Clemson defeated N.C. State 52-51 in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference. In the semifinals, Clemson defeated eighth-ranked and top-seeded Duke 76-71. In the Championship game on March 1, Clemson defeated North Carolina 87-72.
GEREN AND UMOH NAMED 1999 FIRST-TEAM ALL-ACC — Clemson’s Itoro Umoh and Amy Geren were named first team All-ACC as announced by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association on Wednesday, February 24. Amy Geren was named first-team All-ACC for the second consecutive season. Itoro Umoh is named first -team All-ACC after being named second team All-ACC in 1997 and 1998. Geren becomes only the third Lady Tiger to be named first-team All-ACC for two or more seasons. Barbara Kennedy was named first-team All-ACC in 1980, 1981, and 1982. Mary Anne Cubelic was named first-team All-ACC in 1982 and 1983.
Itoro Umoh becomes the second Lady Tiger to be named All-ACC for three or more years. Barbara Kennedy was named All-ACC for four seasons. Kennedy was named second team All-ACC in 1979 and first-team All-ACC in 1980, 1981, and 1982.
CLEMSON’S RECORD — Clemson is 24-5 this season. The Lady Tigers finished 11-5 in the ACC this season. The Lady Tigers have won seven consecutive games. The Lady Tigers are 12-2 at home this season and are 25-2 at home over the last two years. Clemson is 10-0 vs. non-conference teams this season, including an impressive 3-0 record vs. Southeastern Conference teams.
CLEMSON HAS 24 VICTORIES — The 80-75 upset win over Duke on February 14, was the 20th victory of the season for Clemson. This is the 10th time in Clemson’s Head Coach Jim Davis’ 12-year career that he has won 20 games in a season. Clemson has now won 20 or more games 16 times in the 24 year-old program’s history. The 24 wins is tied for the second most wins in a single season by a Clemson team. The school record for most wins in a single season is 25 set by the 1997-98 team.
ITORO UMOH RECORDS TRIPLE DOUBLE — Itoro Umoh had 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in recording a triple double (double digits in statistical categories) as she led Clemson to a 78-38 win over Wake Forest in an Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball game at Clemson, SC Sunday, January 17.
This was the fifth time a player in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference has recorded a triple double, and the second time in Clemson history. Dawn Staley of Virginia recorded two triple doubles in 1991, and Peggy Caple of Clemson had one in 1983.Most recently, Kisha Ford had a triple double in 1995. Caple had 19 points 10 rebounds and 10 blocked shots against Kansas State on January 5, 1983.
Atlantic Coast Conference’s All-Time Triple Doubles Peggy Caple, Clemson vs. Kansas State, Jan. 5, 1983 Dawn Staley, Virginia vs. NC State, Jan. 12, 1991 Dawn Staley, Virginia vs. NC State, Feb. 23, 1991 Kisha Ford, Georgia Tech vs. Georgia State, Feb. 13, 1995 Itoro Umoh, Clemson vs. Wake Forest, Jan. 17, 1999
PRESEASON HONORS — Clemson’s Itoro Umoh is one of the pre-season Naismith Award Candidates. Teammate Amy Geren is a preseason All-America candidate as selected by Street and Smith’s Magazine.
CLEMSON TIES SCHOOL RECORD FOR BEST UNDEFEATED START – The 11-0 start for Clemson tied the school record for consecutive wins at the beginning of the season. Virginia defeated Clemson 67-66 in overtime to break the streak on January 2.
HOME WINNING STREAK COMES TO AN END — Clemson won 20 games in a row at home beginning November 23, 1997 and ending with a loss to Virginia on January 2, 1999. The 20 consecutive home wins was a school record and the sixth longest active homecourt winning streak in the nation.
HEAD COACH JIM DAVIS REACHES 250 WINS AT CLEMSON — Head Coach Jim Davis has a 257-115 record at Clemson as he is in his 12th season. He reached the 250 mark with a 55-45 win at Maryland on January 28 in Cole Fieldhouse. During his NCAA Division I career, he has a 273-123 record. Davis spent one season, 1986-87, at Middle Tennessee State and compiled a 19-8 record with the Lady Raiders that season.
LADY TIGER LEADERS – Clemson is led in scoring by Amy Geren with a 14.1 ppg. average. Nikki Blassingame leads the team in rebounding with a 7.9 rpg. average. Itoro Umoh has 166 assists and 53 steals to lead the team.
CLEMSON HEAD COACH OVER THE CENTURY MARK IN ACC WINS — Clemson Head Coach Jim Davis has a 112-72 record against ACC foes during the regular season. He is the fourth winningest coach in the history of the ACC with the 112 victories.
CLEMSON’S JIM DAVIS IS 8-5 IN OVERTIME GAMES DURING HIS CAREER – Head Coach Jim Davis is now 8-5 in overtime games during his career at Clemson. He has also guided the Lady Tigers to five wins in the last six Clemson overtime games.
CLEMSON’S RECORD VS. RANKED TEAMS – Coach Jim Davis has defeated 41 top 25 teams since his arrival at Clemson in the 1987-88 season. At Littlejohn Coliseum, he has a 27-18 record vs. Associated Press Top 25 teams. This season he is 5-5 vs. top 25 teams. He has 11 top 25 wins over Virginia in his career, more than any other school.
CLEMSON’S DEFENSE – Under Coach Jim Davis, the Clemson Lady Tigers have held opponents to 50 points or less 53 times and have never allowed an opponent to reach the 100-point plateau. All 53 games have resulted in Lady Tiger victories. The Lady Tigers have only been held to 50 points or less twice during Davis’ tenure.
The Lady Tigers have been outstanding in field goal percentage defense this year, holding the opposition to 36.7 percent shooting and just 58.9 points per game. If the season ended today, that would be the best field goal percentage defense in school history. The previous best is 37.4 percent field goal percentage defense by the 1976-77 Lady Tigers. The scoring defense is at an all-time record pace. The previous best is 61.2 points per game allowed by last year’s Lady Tigers.
Clemson has allowed just 11 opponents to shoot over 40 percent from the field this year, and no opponent has been over 48 percent. Virginia shot 27-56 from the field on January 31, for a .482 figure, a season best against the Tigers.
FIRST HOME GAME RECORD – Clemson now has a 21-3 record over the years when playing its first home game of the season. The Lady Tigers also have an 18-6 record over the years in season-opening games.
ALL-TIME HOME RECORD – Clemson has a 251-72 record when playing in Littlejohn Coliseum for a .777 mark. Clemson won its 250th game in a 69-41 win over Georgia Tech on February 11, 1999.
100% GRADUATION RATE — Since the beginning of the women’s basketball program at Clemson in 1975-76, 100% of the players staying for four years have graduated.
GEREN IS CAREER LEADER FOR BEST FREE THROW PCT. – Amy Geren is Clemson’s career leader for best free throw percentage with an .847 mark. During her career she is 331-391 from the free throw line.
THREE-POINT WEAPON – Amy Geren is in second place on the Clemson career list for most 3-pt field goals scored in a career (195).
CLEMSON’S CAREER LIST FOR MOST 3PT GOALS MADE
Name Yrs Years GP FGA FGM1. Tara Saunooke 4 1991-95 121 586 2522. Amy Geren 3+ 1995- 122 538 195
UMOH AND GEREN MOVING UP CAREER SCORING CHART – Itoro Umoh is now ninth in Clemson history in career scoring with 1,387 points. Classmate Amy Geren is 10th in Clemson history in career scoring with 1,378 points, just nine points behind Umoh. Natasha Anderson is in 19th place on the Clemson career scoring list with 979.
POINTS SCORED Rk. Name Yrs. Years GP Avg. Points 1. Barbara Kennedy 4 1978-82 127 24.5 3113 2. Janet Knight 4 1982-86 114 15.7 1795 3. Shandy Bryan 4 1989-93 126 12.9 1631 4. Karen Ann Jenkins 4 1985-89 111 13.6 1514 5. Mary Anne Cubelic 4 1979-83 119 12.6 1501 6. Tara Saunooke 4 1991-95 121 12.1 1462 7. Bobbie Mims 4 1976-80 126 11.5 1448 8. Kerry Boyatt 4 1989-93 121 11.8 1422 9. Itoro Umoh 3+ 1995- 123 11.3 1387 10. Amy Geren 3+ 1995- 122 11.3 1378 11 Donna Forester 2 1976-78 63 20.2 1270 12. Louise Greenwood 4 1985-89 112 11.3 1268 13. Cissy Bristol 5 1977-82 104 11.8 1229 14. Peggy Caple 4 1981-85 119 9.9 1173 15. Laura Cottrell 4 1993-97 119 9.3 1108 16. Melinda Ashworth 4 1983-86 111 9.2 1024 17. Janet Forester 2 1975-77 55 18.3 1008 18. Ramona O'Neal 4 1985-89 117 8.4 988 19. Natasha Anderson 3+ 1995- 122 8.0 979
JIM DAVIS’ NON-CONFERENCE RECORD — Head Coach Jim Davis has a cumulative 135-38 record vs. non-conference teams during his Clemson career.
DAVIS IS THE FOURTH WINNINGEST COACH IN ACC HISTORY – Head Coach Jim Davis is the fifth all-time winningest coach in the history of the ACC with 257 victories. He is also fourth for most victories in ACC games with 112. He is also the third all-time winningest coach in the ACC by percentage, (.689). Davis is also fourth for the best winning percentage in the ACC Tournament with a .643 figure (18-10).
UMOH IS IN THIRD PLACE FOR MOST STEALS – Itoro Umoh is in third place on the Clemson career list for most steals. Currently she has 255 steals. Umoh is also fourth all-time at Clemson for most steals per game with a 2.08 figure.
CLEMSON CAREER STEAL LEADERS
Name Yrs. Years GP S/G Steals 1. Barbara Kennedy 4 1978-82 127 2.57 327 2. Ramona O'Neal 4 1985-89 117 2.44 286 3. Itoro Umoh 3+ 1995- 123 2.08 255
ITORO UMOH IS ONE OF CLEMSON’S BEST ALL-TIME PLAY MAKERS – Itoro Umoh is in third place on the Clemson career list for most assists with 443. She has averaged 3.58 assists per game during her career. This season she has had at least three assists in every game, including a high of 11 assists in the Florida State game on January 7. Umoh is averaging 5.7 assists per game this season.
CLEMSON CAREER ASSISTS LEADERS
Name Yrs. Years GP A/G Asts 1. Bobbie Mims 4 1976-80 126 4.89 617 2. Melinda Ashworth 4 1982-86 111 4.17 463 3. Itoro Umoh 3+ 1995- 123 3.60 443
LADY TIGER RANKINGS IN 1998-99
AP USA TodayPreseason NR NRNov. 16 NR NRNov. 23 NR NRNov. 30 25 24Dec. 7 15 14Dec. 14 14 12Dec. 21 11 11Dec. 28 10 10Jan. 4 12 10Jan. 11 16 12Jan. 18 16 16Jan. 25 15 15Feb. 1 17 18Feb. 8 19 19Feb. 15 14 16Feb. 22 16 16March 1 13 13
PLAYING TIME FOR EVERYONE – Clemson has nine players who are averaging in double figures in minutes played this season. Itoro Umoh leads the team in minutes played with a 28.3 minutes per game average.
CLEMSON HAS SHOT 50% IN FIVE GAMES THIS SEASON – The Lady Tigers have shot 50% from the field in six games this season. Clemson is 6-0 in these games.
LADY TIGERS WINNING THE BATTLE OF THE BOARDS — Clemson has outrebounded its opponents in 22 of the 29 games this season. Clemson has outrebounded its opponents by a 6.5 margin this season. The Lady Tigers have tied two opponents in rebounding this season. Clemson is 20-2 this season when outrebounding its opponents this season.
GEREN AND UMOH ARE BOTH 1,300 POINT SCORERS — Amy Geren has scored 1,378 points in her career, while Itoro Umoh has scored 1,387 career points. This is the third time in Clemson history that there has been two 1,300 point scorers in the same class as both Umoh and Geren are both seniors.
Clemson 1,300 points ClassmatesPlayer Years PointsKaren Ann Jenkins 1985-89 1,514Louise Greenwood 1,268
Shandy Bryan 1989-93 1,631 Kerry Boyatt 1,422
Amy Geren 1995-99 1,378 Itoro Umoh 1,387
SPECIAL SENIOR CLASS — Clemson’s senior class consists of Amy Geren, Itoro Umoh, Natasha Anderson, and Nikki Blassingame. They have become household names and have meant a great deal to the Lady Tiger program. This senior class has scored 4,420 points, and has grabbed 1,922 rebounds. This senior class is also responsible for 861 assists and 588 steals.
The 1999 senior class has been to three straight NCAA Tournaments and three straight ACC Tournament Championship games, and won the 1996 ACC Tournament Title.
AGAINST THE ACC — Clemson has four players averaging in double figures in ACC games. Itoro Umoh has a 13.6 ppg. average in conference games, while Natasha Anderson is second with a 13.0 ppg. average. Amy Geren has a 11.9 ppg. average against the league, while Nikki Blassingame is fourth at 10.3 ppg.
MUNGRO NOW STARTING — Joanie Mungro has provided bench strength for the Lady Tigers this season. She is Clemson’s top player off the bench with a 4.8 scoring average and a 4.4 rebound average. Now she is in the starting lineup due to an injury to Erin Batth.
MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS — Clemson is 20-2 when leading at the half this season. The Lady Tigers are also 6-0 this season when shooting 50% or better this season.
Current Seniors Clemson’s Best — The current senior class of Nikki Blassingame, Itoro Umoh, Natasha Anderson and Amy Geren has a record of 91-32, a .739 winning percentage. This is the most wins and the highest winning percentage for a four-year class in Clemson history.
When it comes to ACC games, this year’s group of seniors is also the best. The current seniors are 40-24 in ACC regular season games, a school record for most ACC regular season wins by a class.
When it comes to games against ACC teams (counting the ACC Tournament) this class has a 50-26 mark. This is the school record for victories against ACC teams.
Lady Tigers Tie Record for Best 20-Game RECORD — The Lady Tigers had a 17-3 record through 20 games, and that tied the record for the best 20-game start in Clemson history. This is the third time in history Clemson has had a 17-3 record through 20 games. The 1979-80 team and the 1995-96 teams also had a 17-3 record to start the season. The 1980-81 and 1997-98 teams were both 16-4.
UMOH JOINS ELITE COMPANY – Itoro Umoh has become only the 11th player in Clemson’s history to have over 1000 points and 500 rebounds. Currently, she has 1,387 points and 529 rebounds.
ALL-ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCEAmy Geren-First TeamItoro Umoh-First Team
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT MVP Itoro Umoh
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM First-Team-Itoro Umoh Second-Team-Natasha Anderson, Nikki Blassingame, Amy Geren
ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK Dec. 21-Amy Geren
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL JOURNAL DEFENSIVE ALL-AMERICAN TEAM Itoro Umoh-Second Team
CLEMSON’S RECORD IN 1998-99 When a game is five points or less 6-2 When leading at Halftime 20-2 When trailing at halftime 4-3 When tied at halftime 0-0 Shooting 50% or better from the field 6-0 Shooting Under 50% from the field 18-5 Shooting 40% or better from the field 16-3 Shooting under 40% from the field 8-2 Shooting 60% or better from the FT line 23-4 Shooting under 60% from the FT line 1-1 Shooting 30% or better from the 3PT line 13-3 Shooting under 30% from the 3PT line 11-2 One-Point Decisions 1-1 Two-Point Decisions 1-0 Three-Point Decisions 0-0 Four-Point Decisions 1-1 Five-Point Decisions 3-0 Overtime 0-1 Under Coach Davis 1987-88-Present Shooting over .500 69-3
CLEMSON LEADERS IN THE ACC — Amy Geren leads the ACC in free throw pct. with a .851 mark as she has hit 114-134 from the free throw line. Itoro Umoh is second for most assists per game with a 5.7 apg. mark. As a team, Clemson leads the league in scoring defense (58.9 ppg.) and field goal pct. defense (.367). Clemson also leads the ACC in rebound margin with a 6.5 figure.
CLEMSON PLAYERS AMONG NCAA LEADERS – Amy Geren is ranked 23rd nationally for the best free throw pct. with a .851 mark. As a team, the Lady Tigers are 11th nationally for best field goal pct. defense (.367). Clemson is 15th for best scoring margin (14.9) and 18th for best rebound margin (6.5)
UMOH, BLASSINGAME, AND ANDERSON MOVING UP CLEMSON’S CAREER REBOUNDING CHART – Clemson’s Itoro Umoh is 14th on the Clemson career list for most rebounds with 529. Natasha Anderson is 16th with 515, and Nikki Blassingame is 18th with 513.
REBOUNDS Name Yrs. Years GP Avg. Reb. 1. Barbara Kennedy 4 1978-82 127 9.9 1252 2. Peggy Caple 4 1981-85 119 9.1 1087 3. Shandy Bryan 4 1989-93 126 6.9 874 4. Louise Greenwood 4 1985-89 112 7.7 859 5. Laura Cottrell 4 1993-97 119 6.8 808 6. Donna Forester 2 1976-78 63 12.2 766 7. Debra Buford 4 1977-81 127 5.3 735 8. Karen Ann Jenkins 4 1985-89 111 6.2 687 9. Bobbie Mims 4 1976-80 126 5.0 630 10. Jackie Farmer 2 1989-91 58 9.8 570 11. Janet Knight 4 1982-86 114 5.0 565 12. Jeanette Davis 4 1994-98 125 4.4 555 13. Jaci Stimson 4 1993-97 115 4.7 535 14. Itoro Umoh 3+ 1995- 123 4.3 529 15. Janet Forester 2 1975-77 55 9.5 524 16. Natasha Anderson 3+ 1995- 122 4.2 515 17. Annette Wise 5 1978-83 127 4.0 514 18. Nikki Blassingame 3+ 1995- 123 4.2 513
Itoro Umoh Named to WBJ Defensive All-America Team — Itoro Umoh was named to the National Defensive All-America Team as announced by the Women’s Basketball Journal. The WBJ editors received input from over 50 Division I coaches from the across the nation before naming the publication’s Defensive All-America teams.
Here is a look at the complete WBJ Defensive All-America Team: 1999 WBJ Defensive All-Americans
First Team Cl. Pos. School HometownSemeka Randall So. G Tennessee Cleveland, OhioMery Andrade Sr. F Old Dominion Lisbon, PortugalLatasha Dorsey Sr. G LSU Abbeville, La.Nicole Kubik Jr. G Nebraska Cambridge, Neb.Roxanne McCrory Jr. G Colorado St. Kansas City, Mo.
Second Team Itoro Umoh Sr. G Clemson Hephzibah, Ga. Dominique Canty Sr. G Alabama Chicago, Ill. Chamique Holdsclaw Sr. F Tennessee Astoria, N.Y. Ruth Riley So. C Notre Dame Macy, Ind. DeMya Walker Sr. C Virginia Mount Holly, N.J.
April 13, 2024
