Clemson Defeats Kennesaw State, 71-62, On Sunday Afternoon

Dec. 10, 2006

CLEMSON, SC – Freshman Lele Hardy led Clemson with 13 points, while D’Lesha Lloyd turned in a double-double performance with 10 points and 11 rebounds, to lead the Lady Tigers to a 71-62 victory over Kennesaw State on Sunday afternoon at Littlejohn Coliseum.

“This win came at a good time,” Head Coach Cristy McKinney said. “This should boost our team’s morale with a break coming up. Hopefully, we can play with the same enthusiasm against Tennessee Tech next week.”

With the win, Clemson improved to 4-6 on the year, while the Lady Owls fell to 3-5 overall.

Along with Hardy and Lloyd, red-shirt freshman Christy Brown totaled double figures with 10 points, and Moreemi Davis posted a career high with nine boards in the contest.

Kennesaw State’s Jennifer Baker led all scorers with 16 points, as she hit four three-point field goals on the afternoon. Ngoneh Gaye recorded 15 points and a team-best 11 rebounds in the effort.

With the Lady Owls holding the early advantage in the first half, McKinney went with a line-up consisting of Davis, Susan Yenser and walk-ons Alexis Auffray, Ashley Jenkins and Emily Spray. The five entered the game with Clemson trailing by two points and put the Lady Tigers on top by as many as seven points within five minutes. In her first action of the season, Spray drained a three-pointer, a jumper and two free throws during the stretch and finished the afternoon with nine points.

Clemson then controlled the remainder of the period and hit its largest lead as time expired. Following two free throws by Tasha Taylor, Hardy stole the ball near half court and laid it up to give the Lady Tigers a 38-24 advantage at the break.

Clemson led by 11 with 13:25 remaining in the second half, but Kennesaw State put together a 16-4 run in the next five minutes to take a one-point lead at 53-52. Clemson went ahead by three on lay-ups by Adrianne Bradshaw and Taylor before the Lady Owls hit two baskets that put them back on top by one at the 5:48 mark.

A free throw by Davis tied the score at 57 apiece with 5:01 remaining, and Clemson posted the next eight points to regain the lead for good. The Lady Tigers outscored Kennesaw State, 14-5, in the final five minutes to record their fourth win of the season.

The Lady Tigers will take the week off for final exams and then travel to Cookeville, TN to take on the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Sunday, Dec. 17.