Lady Tigers Move to 3-1 on Young Season with 75-69 win at Kennesaw State

Nov. 24, 2009

KENNESAW, GA – Fairburn, GA native Lele Hardy and 11 points and nine assists from freshman Keyrra Gillespie to counter Angie Smith who had 18 points for Kennesaw State (2-2).

The Tigers pushed out to a double-digit lead and we able to hold on down the stretch, forcing 27 turnovers. Clemson outrebounded the Owls 45-31, and we led by Jasmine Tate’s nine and Hardy’s eight.

Hardy also recorded four steals to push past the 300 milestone in her career. She is only the 15th player in ACC history to reach the mark, and is now only 26 shy of Clemson’s school record.

The game was an ugly matchup throughout, with the two teams combining for 57 turnovers and 54 personal fouls. The Tigers struggled from the charity stripe, shooting 17-34, but were 4-4 inside the final 25 seconds.

Clemson looked to have the game in hand after taking an 11-point lead after a pair of Gillespie free throws with 4:02 remaining. Kennesaw State was able to stay in the game by knocking down free throws, as the Tiger defense held the Owls to only eight field goals in the second half. Clemson, by contrast, shot 47.4% from the floor.

The Tigers got off to a fast start, taking a 14-6 lead eight minutes into the game. After surrendering a three-pointer to Angie Smith for a 3-2 deficit, Clemson held the Owls scoreless over the next 6:30 of game time, a 12-0 run.

KSU closed the gap to one at 16-15 on a flurry of three-point baskets. Clemson responded with a run to go ahead 27-19 on five consecutive points from Kirstyn Wright drilled a three-pointer from the left wing to give the Tigers a six-point, 34-28 lead going into halftime.

Clemson will travel to Storrs, CT after the game for the WBCA Classic. Clemson will take on Richmond, Hofstra, and UConn on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively.