Clemson Women’s Basketball Falls to Georgetown

Dec. 30, 2009

CLEMSON, S.C. – Lele Hardy had 13 points and 11 rebounds and four steals to lead the Tigers, but Georgetown held Clemson without a basket for the final 4:07, pulling away for a 72-57 win. The Hoyas (11-2) earned their sixth road win of the season, while Clemson (9-6) prepares to play its final nonconference game of the season at Charlotte on Jan. 4.

The Tigers improved their rebounding significantly, pulling down 12 more boards than the Hoyas, including 20 on the offensive glass, and allowing only six Hoya offensive boards. The Tigers had been 8-0 when outrebounding an opponent this season.

Hardy moved into fifth on Clemson’s all-time rebounds list with her second rebound, passing Lauara Cottell who had 808 career rebounds from 1993-97. Hardy now has 818 in her career. She also had four steals, tying her for eighth among all ACC players in history with 334 career takeaways.

Hardy’s double-double was her sixth of the season, leading all ACC players. She also has 28 in her career, most among all active league players.

The Tiger bench was big, registering 32 points, but the Hoya starters outscored Clemson’s starting five, 56-25. Their defense also held Clemson to 29.6% shooting in the second half, including their final six shots. The Tigers also had 11 turnovers after the break.

Clemson had chipped a 12-point second half lead down to six at 63-57 with a little over four minutes to play on a steal and layup by Hardy. However, that’s all Clemson could muster, as Georgetown’s defense clamped down. The Hoyas also hit several key free throws, nailing 15-17 overall and 10-11 in the second half.

Jasmine Tate had a strong performance, recording nine points and five rebnounds, all offensive, in only 11 minutes of play. Foul trouble limited her minutes. Sthefany Thomas scored nine points on 4-10 shooting, playing 26 minutes. Nine Tigers logged more than ten minutes on the evening.

Keyrra Gillespie was a big bright spot for the Tigers at the point, as the freshman had six assists and only two turnovers in a team-high 36 minutes against an extremely high-pressure defense. She entered the game tied for first in the ACC with 70 assists, and now is averaging 5.6 per contest, good for third in the conference. She is also in the top ten in the ACC in assists-to-turnover ratio.

In the first half, Georgetown shot 50.0% from the floor, and used a half-court trap to hold Clemson to 35.3% from the field. The Hoyas led by as many as 12, but Clemson closed to within four just before halftime. A late hoop put the Hoyas us 35-29 heading in to the break. An early 10-0 run gave Georgetown the cushion that they needed for the game.

Clemson will return to action on Jan. 4 when they travel to Charlotte to take on the 49ers. It will be Clemson’s final non-conference tune-up before opening the ACC slate with four consecutive ranked teams.