Lady Tigers Edged by No. 10 North Carolina on Thursday

Feb. 10, 2011

CLEMSON, SC – The Lady Tigers put in an outstanding defensive effort, holding the No. 10/13 North Carolina Tar Heels to 20 points below their season average, but couldn’t make enough shots down the stretch to pull of the upset. The Heels hung on for a 60-47 in Littlejohn Coliseum, dropping Clemson to 10-15 and 3-7 in ACC play.

“Our 2-3 zone looked really active, more active than it’s been in a while,” said Head Coach Itoro Coleman. “That was good to see. Any time you hold a team that averages 80 points a game to 60, you give yourself a chance. We just couldn’t buy a shot tonight.”

The Tar Heels improved to 22-3 overall and 8-2 in the conference. Clemson forced North Carolina into a season-high 27 turnovers, four more than any game they’ve had all year. Their 60 points were the second-fewest of the season, as No. 2 UConn held them to 57 points Jan. 17.

Clemson closed the gap to nine on a Quinyotta Pettaway hoop with 6:30 remaining at 53-44, but could only muster three points the rest of the way, going seven straight possessions without scoring, and going without a field goal for the duration.

Sthefany Thomas had 13 points and a career-high eight rebounds to lead Clemson, but hit just 5-18 from the field and three of her career-high 13 3-point attempts. Kirstyn Wright had 12 points and had game-highs in assists (5) and steals (3).

Clemson struggled to put the ball in the basket, hitting only 18-67 (.269) from the floor and 11-38 from inside the arc, as the Heels’ size bothered the Tigers much of the night. The Tigers put up a season-high 29 three-point attempts and hit just seven, as they were forced to move away from the basket against the nation’s second-best shot blocking team. The Tar Heels finished with seven blocked shots and outscored Clemson in the paint, 28-12.

The difference in the game for North Carolina was their rebounding advantage, as they grabbed 58 boards to just 34 for Clemson. The Tar Heels were able to put in 25 second chance points, while Clemson could only put in 12 off 17 offensive rebounds.

Clemson will return to action on Feb. 14, as they take on Virginia Tech in a Fox Sports televised game at 7:00 pm. Fans can print out a voucher at ClemsonTigers.com for free admission to the game.