Jan. 23, 2009
Box Score
CHESTNUT HILL, MA – The Clemson women’s basketball team fell to Boston College on Friday night at the Silvio O. Conte Forum by a 71-51 margin. The Lady Tigers had no answer for 6’6″ Eagle center Carolyn Swords and could not overcome a poor second-half shooting performance to fall to 12-8 on the year and 2-4 in conference play.
Swords totaled 29 points with 19 coming in the second half. She was 11-for-13 from the field and 7-for-12 from the foul line to lead the Boston College offense. Mickel Picco also scored in double figures with 17 points on the night.
Hardy was Clemson’s lone offensive weapon as she finished with a team-high 19 points. Although she shot just 4-of-16 from the field, the junior forward converted all nine of her free throws. She recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 11 rebounds, including nine on the defensive end to increase her already-league leading figure.
The Lady Tigers took the lead into the halftime break after trailing the Eagles for most of the period. Boston College scored the first six points of the game and stayed on top until the 4:12 mark as a Christy Brown and Tasha Taylor drained back-to-back three-pointers from nearly the same spot on the left baseline to put the Lady Tigers within one at 23-22.
With under 1:30 remaining in the half, Jasmine Tate drove for a lay-up that evened the score at 32 apiece, while Mason hit a basket to give Clemson its first lead of the game. Hardy then drained a pair of free throws following a Boston College technical to put the Lady Tigers on top by four and Clemson took the 36-33 lead into the lockerroom.
However, the Lady Tigers made just three field goals in the second half as the Eagles continued to give the ball to their post players and take advantage of their inside game.
“We just didn’t make good decisions or run our offense,” said Clemson Head Coach Cristy McKinney. “We talked at halftime that they would come out playing hard, and we didn’t come out with any defensive intensity, which you especially need when you aren’t hitting any shots.”
Boston College took an eight-point lead in the second half before the Hardy hit a three-pointer for the Lady Tigers’ first points of the half. The Eagles then went on a 13-1 run and Clemson never recovered. Their lead hit 20 in the final seconds and Swords banked in her 11th field goal of the game.
Clemson will return to the court on Monday night against 16th-ranked Virginia. The Lady Tigers and Cavaliers are scheduled to tip off at 7:00 pm at Littlejohn Coliseum.
April 16, 2024
