Buzzer Beater Lifts Lady Tigers To Win At Florida State

March 1, 2008

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Morganne Campbell grabbed the offensive board and put up a shot as time expired to give the Lady Tigers a 72-70 victory over Florida State on Saturday night at the Donald L. Tucker Center.

The basket culminated a second-half comeback for Clemson in which it erased a 14-point deficit and shot 47.2-percent from the field. It also gave the Lady Tigers a win in their final regular season game of the year and momentum heading into the upcoming ACC Tournament.

Campbell had stolen a Seminole pass with 1:33 remaining and hit a pair of crucial free throws on the other end to tie the game at 68-68. Shante Williams knocked down a jumper to give Florida State the lead at the one-minute mark, while Christy Brown drove to the basket for a lay-up on Clemson’s next possession.

Williams then missed two foul shots with nine seconds remaining and the Lady Tigers ended up with the rebound. Following a timeout, Clemson in-bounded the ball with seven ticks left. Jasmine Tate took a shot from the left baseline and Campbell was in position underneath for the board and put-back.

It was her 18th point of the night, setting a career high for the sophomore from Fairburn, GA, and putting the Lady Tigers (11-18, 4-10 ACC) on top for the first time since the opening minutes of the game.

“I got the rebound and knew the clock hadn’t gone off, so I just put it back up,” said Campbell.

Fellow sophomores Brown and Lele Hardy also had big nights in the team’s regular season finale. Hardy recorded her eighth double-double of the year, leading the team with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Brown scored 13 and played the final five minutes of the game with four fouls.

“This was a great effort by our kids tonight,” said Clemson Head Coach Cristy McKinney. “We just kept battling even after we were down and I am so proud of our team.”

The win was also the 600th victory in the history of the Clemson women’s basketball program, as the Lady Tigers now own a 600-400 all-time record.”

Williams finished with 22 points on her Senior Night and Mara Freshour led all scorers with 23 for the Seminoles (17-12, 7-7 ACC).

Twice the Lady Tigers were able to respond to Florida State runs in the first half to draw within two the first time and narrow the gap to seven with 1:32 remaining. However, Alysha Harvin put her team back on top by 14 in the 69 seconds of the first half.

The sophomore guard scored the Seminoles’ final six points on a trio of jumpers, including one with her foot on the three-point line, for the 40-26 halftime advantage.

“We hurt ourselves in the first half,” McKinney said. “We knew if we could quit that, we would have a chance.”

The Lady Tigers will now await their seeding and pairing for the 2008 ACC Tournament. The bracket will be released on Sunday night following the game between Duke and North Carolina.