Wake Forest Takes Down Lady Tigers 65-55

Feb. 27, 2003

WINSTON-SALEM, NC-Erin Ferrell came off the bench and scored 15 points in leading Wake Forest to a 66-55 win over Clemson in an Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball game at Winston-Salem, NC Thursday night. Ferrell was 5-7 from the field and 5-6 from the free throw line. She also finished with five rebounds.

With the win, Wake Forest improves to 13-13 overall and 3-12 in the ACC. Clemson falls to 13-13 overall, and 5-10 in league play.

Clemson was led in scoring by Chrissy Floyd with 16 points. Floyd was 7-13 from the field and 2-6 from the three-point line. Floyd also had eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in 38 minutes of play. Wake Forest won the battle of the boards 43-35. Eafton Hill led the Deacons with eight rebounds. Clemson was led in rebounding by Lakeia Stokes with nine.

In the first half, the score was tied 13-13 with 9:59 left to play. From this point, Wake Forest went on an 11-0 run and took a 22-13 lead with 6:59 left to go. Tonia Brown scored four points in Deacon rally.

The Lady Tigers were scoreless for 5:41 before the Lady Tigers’ Tabitha Vasilas hit two three point field goals to narrow the lead 22-19 with 4:58 remaining. Wake Forest took a 28-22 advantage in the lockerroom at the intermission. In the first half, Clemson shot 8-28 (.286) and Wake Forest shot 11-27 (.407).

Wake Forest kept the advantage in the first six minutes of the second half and had a 34-28 lead with 13:36 left to go in the game. However, Wake Forest went on a 15-2 run and built a 19-point lead 49-30 with 9:54 left. Tonia Brown scored seven points in this rally.

The Deacons maintained the lead, but Clemson cut the lead to eight with 2:54 left as Stokes hit two free throws. This would be the smallest margin as the Deacons built a 13-point lead when Tracy Alston hit two free throws with 1:32 remaining.

“I give credit to Wake Forest,” said Clemson Head Coach Jim Davis. “They played with more energy and were the better basketball team tonight. We struggled to score if Chrissy was not in the game. We did not have people step up their game offensively. We need for people to step up their games at this time of year. Wake Forest was changing defenses and this kept us off balance. We had some open shots on the elbow but could not knock down our shots. At the end we increased our defensive pressure and got back in the game.”

“We had a great team effort,” said Wake Forest Head Coach Charlene Curtis. “We got off to a good start with our seniors. We did what we wanted to do defensively and this was a big key tonight.”

In the second half, Clemson shot 14-32 from the floor for a .438 pct. The Lady Tigers finished the game 22-60 from the field (.367). Wake Forest shot 10-24 from the floor in the second half, (.417). For the game the Deacons shot 21-51 from the field for a .412 mark.

Clemson will play at Florida State on Sunday, March 2, at 1:00 p.m. in the Lady Tigers last regular season game.