Lady Tigers Battle Back to Defeat Spartans

Dec. 15, 2009

Clemson, SC – After falling behind at halftime, the Lady Tigers used inside scoring to pull away from the USC Upstate Spartans en route to a 78-65 victory on Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers move to 7-4 on the season, while the Spartans fall to 5-3.

The Tigers were able to finish the night shooting 43.7% and were led by Jasmine Tate, who finished with 10 boards, including seven on the offensive end. Pauldo tied a career-high with nine rebounds, falling a board short of her first career double-double.

Tate played 25 minutes off the bench, netting seven points to go with her ten rebounds. She also finished with two blocks and two steals defensively.

“Jasmine Tate did an excellent job on the defensive end,” said McKinney. “She stepped up towards the end of the game and shut down McMillan.”

Chelsea McMillan finished the night with a team-high 20 points and 16 rebounds for the Spartans, who shot 32.9% from the field.

Lele Hardy added 11 second half points, including two key three-pointers to finish with 13 points on the night. The senior also added eight rebounds and two steals, pulling her to within two of the school career record of 327.

Bryelle Smith had eight points, seven assists, and six rebounds in a season-high 30 minutes at the point. Kirstyn Wright scored all 11 of her points in the first half, while also adding three rebounds and two blocks and two steals. Clemson blocked 10 shots and had 15 steals as a team, as part of 27 forced turnovers.

Christy Brown added eight points, four rebounds, and three assists in 27 minutes of play, and hit a key jumper to put Clemson ahead by ten points with 2:26 remaining after a Hardy three had give Clemson an eight-point edge just moments earlier.

“Lele Hardy had some big plays in the 2nd half that helped us win,” said Cristy McKinney. “That’s what I expect from her in her senior year; to make big plays at key times.”

The Lady Tigers held USC Upstate to 28.6% shooting in the first half, but trailed 36-35 going into halftime. Lele Hardy had two steals, bringing her within two steals of the record held by Barbara Kennedy Dixon. Upstate’s Chelsea McMillan lead the Spartans with 12 points and seven rebounds in the first half.

Clemson consistently shut down first shots by the Spartans, but allowed 26 offensive rebounds to Upstate. McMillan had nine of them on her own.

Clemson was equally proficient grabbing offensive boards, pulling in 22. The Tigers had 50 rebounds overall on the night, edging Upstate by one, 50-49.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Ohio to take on the Bobcats in Athens. Tip off is slated for 12:00 pm.