Lady Tigers Put End to Streak, Down Georgia Tech 58-49 Thursday

Feb. 24, 2005

Freshman point guard Tasha Taylor played all but one minute and recorded her first career double-double and helped Clemson erase its 12-game losing streak with a 58-49 win over Georgia Tech in the home finale Thursday. The Lady Tigers had not won since the N.C. State game on January 9. Clemson improved to 8-18 with the win, 2-11 in conference play. Georgia Tech fell to 13-12 overall, 4-9 in ACC competition.

Taylor scored a career-high 13 points and dished out a career-best 10 assists in 39 minutes of action for Jim Davis’ squad. She also contributed five rebounds and a steal. Freshman small forward D’Lesha Lloyd led the Lady Tigers with 15 points on 5-10 shooting, including 3-5 from behind the three-point line. Maxienne White also reached double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Amanda White had three blocks and two steals as well.

Clemson shot 54.2 percent from the field in the second half, compared to just 26.3 percent for the Yellow Jackets. The Lady Tigers had a season-low 11 turnovers in the game.

The first half looked familiar to Clemson, as the Lady Tigers managed a 22-21 halftime lead in what was a defensive struggle. It marked the first time since Clemson defeated Wagner on December 16, 2004 that the Lady Tigers won a game after leading at halftime.

The lead changed hands four times and the game was tied twice in the opening half. The biggest lead for either team was four points.

Clemson came out of the half with a 13-4 run to help give the Lady Tigers a double-digit lead at 35-25. Maxienne White put the threats to rest.

The 12-game losing streak, which spanned 46 days, was the longest in school history. The win was even more impressive considering the injury situation that has plagued Clemson of late. The Lady Tigers were without Tasha Phillips (foot) and Khaili Sanders, and shooting guard Reggie Maddox played in pain for the second straight game. Meanwhile, starting guard Julie Talley went down with just over 12 minutes left in the game with what looked to be a bruised knee.

The Lady Tigers conclude the 2004-05 regular season with a trip to Raleigh, NC to take on the N.C. State Wolfpack on Monday. Clemson downed N.C. State 78-65 to open conference play earlier this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM from Reynolds Coliseum. The game will be televised by the ACC’s regional sports network (Fox Sports Net South, locally).