Clemson Crushes Savannah State, 97-62, On Friday Afternoon

Dec. 23, 2005

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson women’s basketball team used a 54-point first half to defeat Savannah State, 97-62, on Friday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Lady Tigers of Clemson then scored 43 points in the second period for the victory to even their record at six wins and six losses. Savannah State dropped to 1-12 with the loss.

Six Clemson players scored in double figures for Head Coach Cristy McKinney’s team and three recorded double-doubles. Susan Yenser, the hero from Tuesday’s game, led the Clemson squad with 19 points, while Tasha Taylor, Maxienne White, Khaili Sanders, Lauren Allen, and Julie Talley all had at least 10 points in the effort. Allen, White and Taylor had double-doubles in the contest as White had 11 rebounds, Allen pulled down 10 and Taylor handed out a career-high 13 assists. Allen’s 11 points were a new career high for the senior Decatur, GA and her 10 boards tied a career best.

Newly graduated Sanders was just one rebound away from a double-double, turning in a 12-point, nine-board performance in her first game as a Clemson alumnae.

Overall Clemson shot 51.4% from the field (36-70), while holding Savannah State to just 38.6% shooting (27-70). The home team was also 21-30 from the foul line for a 70.0 percentage.

Antoinette Williams of Savannah State led all scorers with 20 points, while Shamice James contributed 13 in the losing effort.

Clemson jumped out to an early lead and continued to widen the gap throughout the first half. Yenser scored 14 points off the bench in the first half to pace the home team, setting her career high before halftime. Maxienne White added eight in the period to help the Lady Tigers of Clemson extend their lead to 27 points at the 1:37 mark, and Clemson took a 54-31 advantage into the locker room.

The Lady Tigers of Clemson then scored 11 unanswered points to open the second half, taking a 34-point lead at the 16:24 mark. Their largest lead came with 4:18 remaining in the half as Yenser hit a free throw to put Clemson up 88-52. Carrie Whitehurst hit a jumper at the 6:50 mark to ensure that every Clemson player found her way into the scoring column, and the home team went on to win the game by a score of 97-62.

Clemson will return to action after the holidays when they will travel to Washington, D.C. The Lady Tigers will take on the Georgetown Hoyas on Friday, Dec. 29 at 8:00 PM in the capital city.