Clemson Women’s Basketball Defeats Winthrop, 76-68, On Tuesday

Nov. 25, 2008

CLEMSON, SC – With Clemson leading by just two points late in the game, senior Tasha Taylor knocked down a three-pointer from the top of the key that effectively clinched a 76-68 Lady Tiger victory over Winthrop on Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.

“During the last few minutes I felt I had to step up,” Taylor said. “I’m a senior and had to be a leader. I took the big shot and it went in.”

Taylor finished with eight points but tallied six assists without a turnover in leading the Clemson offense. The Lady Tigers (3-2) committed just seven turnovers on Tuesday, which followed a 28-turnover game in a loss to Georgia State three days earlier.

“We’ve been inconsistent this season, so we stressed that in practice these few days,” said Clemson Head Coach Cristy McKinney. “We played much better tonight and made better decisions. We were patient with the ball and that helped us protect the ball.”

April Parker had a team-best 14 points for the Lady Tigers, while Whitney Hood added 10 off the bench. Clemson’s reserves outscored the Lady Eagles’ bench, 42-0.

Ashley Haughtvedt and Yvonne van Daalen each posted 17 points to lead Winthrop (2-2), while Ashley Fann recorded a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Trailing 14-13 six minutes into the first half, Clemson pushed the tempo of the game to score 12 unanswered points and take a commanding lead. The Lady Eagles responded with seven straight points to cut the margin to just four, but the Lady Tigers stretched the advantage back to 11 at 32-21 on a three from the wing by Christy Brown.

Clemson then held Winthrop scoreless for over five minutes late in the period while posting seven of its own for the 44-32 halftime advantage. Parker and Brown, who was a perfect 4-for-4 with a pair of three-pointers, led the Lady Tigers offense with 10 points apiece in the half.

Winthrop opened the second half on a 10-2 run and cut the Clemson lead to just one at 58-57 on a Fann lay-up at the 8:48 mark. Taylor drained her first triple of the night to put the Lady Tigers back on top by four. Parker then hit a jumper with 4:12 remaining to give Clemson a 68-63 advantage, but a pair of free throws and a basket by Haughtvedt whittled the margin back to one at the 2:28 mark. Another Parker field goal followed by a Fann foul shot put the score at 70-68 with 1:36 remaining. Lele Hardy grabbed the rebound, her 11th of the game, off of Fann’s second shot and Taylor hit the three-pointer on the Lady Tigers next possession.

Hardy then stole a Lady Eagle pass and Hood converted a three-point play on the ensuing play to seal the 76-68 Clemson win.

The Lady Tigers will head to the west coast for the Thanksgiving holiday as they will participate in the Washington Husky Classic in Seattle. In Friday’s first-round action, Clemson will face Kent State, while the University of Washington and Seattle University will match up.