Lady Tigers Edge Duquesne, 77-74, For Their Eighth Win Of The Season

Dec. 29, 2006

PITTSBURGH, PA – D’Lesha Lloyd hit double figures for the 10th straight game as the Clemson women’s basketball team eked out a 77-74 victory over Duquesne on Friday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The win was the Lady Tigers’ fifth in a row, improving their record to 8-6 on the year, while the Dukes fell to 5-7 overall.

“This was a good win on the road for us,” Clemson Head Coach Cristy McKinney said. “Right now we are just finding a way to win.”

Lloyd totaled 23 points on the night, her third consecutive game with over 20, while also leading the team with six rebounds. Lele Hardy added 16 points after converting 8-9 free throws. Susan Yenser drained five three-pointers for 15 total points, and Tasha Taylor turned in a 13-point performance in the win.

“Sue came off the bench and really played hard for us,” said McKinney. “She hit a couple of big threes, including a crucial one at the end of the game.”

Duquesne’s Loui Hall led all scorers with 27 points in the effort and tied for team high-rebounding honors with eight. Kristi Little and Carmen Bruce also posted double figures for the Dukes with 17 and 13, respectively.

A tight first half ended as it began with the Lady Tigers and Dukes tied up at the break. Lloyd hit double figures just eight minutes into the game as her 10th point gave Clemson a 17-12 lead at the 12:11 mark. Duquesne knotted the score at 19-19 as Little completed a three-point play. The Lady Tigers took a five-point lead with 5:07 remaining after Hardy knocked down a pair of free throws.

The Dukes then scored the next seven points to take a 28-26 advantage at the 5:11 mark. Taylor hit a jumper for Clemson 20 seconds later to tie the score. Duquesne then held three-point leads that Yenser threes erased to send the teams into their lockerrooms knotted at 35 apiece.

The Lady Tigers then opened the second half on a 16-8 run for their largest margin of the game at the 14:28 mark. The Dukes responded with their own run to tie the score at 57-57 with 8:18 remaining. Clemson posted the next four points before Duquesne took its first lead of the half at 63-61 on two free throws by Jocelyn Chandler at the 5:49 mark.

Another three by Yenser gave the lead back to the Lady Tigers at 64-63. The Dukes then went up 68-64 at the 4:01 mark before Clemson regained the advantage after a 10-0 run that included another three by Yenser and five points by Hardy. Hardy then hit three more free throws down the stretch to seal the victory for the Lady Tigers.

Clemson will return to Littlejohn Coliseum on Jan. 2 as it will play host to the Charlotte 49ers. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.