Clemson Falls to UAB on Friday

Dec. 30, 2011

CLEMSON, SC – The Lady Tigers put forth one of their best defensive efforts of the season, but caught a cold spell from the floor as Clemson fell to UAB, 51-36, on Friday night in Littlejohn Coliseum. UAB (9-2) held Clemson (4-7) without a field goal for more than 13 minutes in a 21-2 run that spanned halftime. The defense held the Blazers to just a .316 mark from the floor and forced 18 turnovers, but the offense struggled to get anything consistent offensively against one of the nation’s top defensive teams. UAB entered the game ranked among the top five nationally in points allowed per game. Erin Batth (1997-01). Clemson entered the game ranked second in the conference in blocks per game, and upped that average on Friday.The Lady Tigers held the Blazers to just 5-23 (.217) from beyond the arc, but a pair of them came at a key juncture after Clemson but the lead to eight midway through the second half. Clemson opened the game with great energy, holding the Blazers to just four points in the first 8:30 of the contest, while netting 13 points, including hoops from five different players. UAB quickly battled back from the nine-point deficit, cutting it to three by the ten-minute mark. Lindsey Mason added a layup after a nice head-fake to give Clemson the 15-10 lead. Clemson went cold from that point, missing its next 15 shots from the field, and turning the ball over nine times as UAB took a 25-17 lead into the half. All told, when Dunn’s driving layup at the 14.20 mark of the second half ended the 13:24 drought without a field goal, it put a cap on a 21-2 UAB run. But while Clemson struggled to score, the defense held strong setting up a possible run. The Lady Tigers cut it to eight at 33-25 with 12:11 to play, but the Blazers hit back-to-back threes to stretch the lead to 14, and effectively end the threat, as the Tigers could get no closer than 11 the rest of the way. Clemson gets right into ACC season on Monday, as they play host to Virginia Tech in the conference opener.