Monday 01/31/2000
Jan. 31, 2000
CLEMSON, S.C. – Starting center Adam Allenspach will miss at least the Georgia Tech game on Wednesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum due to a bulging disk in his back. Allenspach suffered the injury early in the first half of Clemson’s 93-59 loss at Duke on Saturday.
After hitting a 15-foot corner jumper, Allenspach collapsed in pain near midcourt. He did not play the rest of the game. It was first believed that Allenspach had suffered a hip-pointer, but an MRI on Sunday revealed the disk problem. He is listed as questionable at this time for Sunday’s game with North Carolina at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Allenspach, a junior, is one of the prime reasons Clemson has led the ACC and ranks 14th in the nation in rebounding this year. He has averaged 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 49 percent from the field. He is second on the Tiger team in scoring, first in rebounding and second in field goal percentage. He is also one of Clemson’s top free throw shooters with a 71 percent mark and is a big reason opposing starting centers have failed to record a double-double against the Tigers this year.
The Georgia Tech game on Feb. 2 will be just the second game Allenspach has missed in his career. He has played 86 of the last 87 Clemson games, missing only the Western Michigan game in the 1998 NCAA tournament. This will be the first game he has missed in his Clemson career due to injury.
Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt did not announce a replacement for Allenspach in Clemson’s starting lineup.
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Littlejohn Coliseum Wednesday, February 2, 2000 (7:00 PM)
Series Record: Clemson leads 47-46at Clemson: Clemson leads 30-11at Littlejohn: Clemson leads 23-4at Tech: Tech leads 33-17Last Year: Clemson won at CU, 92-64 Tech won in Atlanta, 66-62 Television: None
Quick Facts This might be the most home court dominated series in the ACC. The home team has won 22 of the last 25 games. Both teams won on the road in 1992-93. That was the last time Tech won at Clemson.
Wednesday’s game completes the first round of the ACC schedule for both teams. A victory by Clemson will tie the Tigers with Tech at 2-6. A 2-6 record at the mid-point would be a game better than the Tigers were in the league for the first half last year (1-7).
Clemson scored 59 points in both games last week, a 17-point win against #21 NC State and a 34-point loss at #3 ranked Duke.
Speaking of symmetry, Andrius Jurkunas (105 games) has 142 assists, 142 turnovers, 71 blocks and 71 steals.
Clemson continues to lead the ACC in rebounding at +7.4 per game. Clemson has been beaten on the boards just three times all year.
The top two scorers in the ACC will be on display Wednesday. Clemson’s Will Solomon ranks first with a 20.8 average, while Jason Collier is second at 17.8.
Clemson center Adam Allenspach will miss Wednesday’s game with a bulging disc. He had started the first 20 games this year and had played 86 of Clemson’s last 87 games over three years. He is also doubtful for Sunday’s game with North Carolina. Allenspach is Clemson’s second leading scorer at 12.1 and leading rebounder at 7.4 He will be the sixth different Clemson player (25 total games) to miss a game due to injury this year.
Duke 93, Clemson 59 Duke exploded for a 58-16 lead at intermission and went on to a 34-point victory over Clemson on January 29th in Durham. The Blue Devils fullcourt pressure forced 19 Clemson turnovers in the first half and held the Tigers to 7-28 shooting. Duke hit 8-18 three-point shots in scoring the most points in a half against a Larry Shyatt coached team.
Clemson executed much better in the second half and outscored the Blue Devils 43-35 in the second 20 minutes. Will Solomon scored 19 points in the second half and made 4-6 three-point goals. He was Clemson’s only double figure scorer for the afternoon, but four other Tigers had eight points apiece. Chucky Gilmore added eight rebounds. Freshman Tomas Nagys had eight rebounds and eight points. Walk-on Walker Holt had eight points in just 14 minutes.
Duke was led by Chris Carrawell with 20 points, while Shane Battier added 17. Jason Williams ha 17 points, six assists and foir steals. Duke shot 52.4 percent from the field for the game, highest against Clemson all year. The Blue Devil defense had eight blocked shots and 14 steals.
Turnovers were the story. The Tigers committed 30, while Duke committed just 10. Points off turnovers just about equalled the scoring differential. Duke outscored Clemson 36-4 in terms of points off turnovers. Clemson won the rebound battle 42-30, the 10th time this year Clemson has had a double digit rebound margin.
Tigers Score 59 in Both Games Clemson had an unusual scoring week. The Tigers scored 59 points in each game, a 59-42 win over NC State and a 93-59 loss to Duke. Clemson won the State game by 17 points, but lost the Duke game by 34, twice as much. This is the first time since the 1997-98 season that Clemson has scored the exact same point total in consecutive games. Clemson scored 69 against Virginia and Maryland in consecutive games that season.
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Series Clemson holds 47-46 advantage in the series with Georgia Tech. That includes a 32-11 lead in games played at Clemson and a 23-4 margin in games in Littlejohn Coliseum. Tech last defeated Clemson at Clemson since the 1992-93 season when Tech ruined Chris Whitney’s “Senior Day” game by a 66-59 score.
Clemson has not only won the last six games played at Clemson, but four of the six have been by double digits. That includes Clemson’s 28-point victory lat year, Clemson’ s largest victory margin over Georgia Tech since 1975-76. Clemson won the 1997-98 meeting at Clemson 76-62 behind 30 points from Greg Buckner on his “Senior Day”. Clemson has won 12 of the last 13 games played at Clemson between the two teams.
This has been a home team series, perhaps the most home team dominated series in the ACC the last 15 years. The home team has won 22 of the last 25 meetings. Two of the road wins in the series came in the same year. In 1992-93, Clemson won at Tech, 83-80, then lost at home, 66-59. The last win for the road team in the series took place in 1996-97 when Clemson won in Atlanta, 55-53.
The teams have each won on their home court in 10 of the last 12 years. The only season series sweep in the last 12 years took place in 1996-97 when Clemson won both games.
Last Meeting vs. Georgia Tech Clemson 92, Georgia Tech 64 Clemson closed its 1998-99 regular season with one of its finest wins of the season, a 92-64 victory over Georgia Tech. It was “Senior Day” at Clemson and the four Tigers playing their last regular season game in Littlejohn Coliseum combined for 53 points, 15 assists and 24 rebounds.
Two of the Tigers had double-doubles. Terrell McIntyre scored 22 points and had 10 assists, while Tony Christie added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Christie had his career high in rebounds just 15 minutes into the game. It was his first career double-double.
Clemson did have some underclassmen contribute to the Tigers highest scoring game of the season. Adam Allenspach had his best game as a Clemson Tiger with 14 points in just 14 minutes. He added six rebounds and a career high five offensive rebounds.
Clemson jumped to a 24-point halftime lead, 46-24, behind 53 percent shooting. Christie had 13 points and seven rebounds at the half to lead the way. Georgia Tech never closed the game under 18 points in the second half. The Tigers committed just 11 turnovers and won the rebounding battle, 42-35. They held ACC leading rebounder Alvin Jones to six points and four rebounds before he fouled out.
Jurkunas on Hot Streak Jurkunas Has Back to Back Double Figure Games Clemson senior Andrius Jurkunas has played his best basketball of the season of late. Over the last three games, Jurkunas has made 12 of 22 shots from the field, including 5-10 three-point shots. He has scored 34 points in those games.
Jurkunas had one of his most productive games as a Clemson Tiger in the 74-62 loss to Maryland on January 22. The native of Lithuania whose Clemson career dates to November 26, 1995, scored 16 points on 4-6 shooting. He also had 3-4 three-point goal successes and pulled in seven rebounds. he led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding, the first time he has done that in the same game.
Jurkunas point total tied for his second highest ever in an ACC game. His ACC his is 18 against Maryland at Clemson on January 24, 1999. He also scored 16 as a freshman against Virginia and Duke in consecutive games in 1996. Jurkunas career high regardless of competition is 19, against Miami (FL) and Georgia during the 1995-96 season. The Georgia performance came in the NCAA Tournament in New Mexico and all 19 points were scored in the second half, the most points scored by a Clemson player in one half of an NCAA Tournament game.
Jurkunas continued his fine play against NC State with 10 points on 4-8 shooting. He had three assists and just one turnover in his 38 minutes and also had a pair of steals. He is among the top 10 assist leaders in the ACC and leads the Clemson team on a per game basis.
Clemson closes First Half of ACC Schedule Clemson will close its first half of the ACC schedule Wednesday night against Georgia Tech. The Tigers hope to tie Georgia Tech in the ACC standings with a victory. Clemson enters the game 1-6, while Tech is 2-5. A win would put Clemson ahead of where it stood at this time last year. Clemson was just 1-7 the first half of the ACC schedule last year, then posted a 4-4 mark in the second half.
Clemson Downs #21 NC State Four Tigers scored in double figures and the Clemson defense held NC State to 30 percent shooting, as Clemson broke a six-game losing streak with a 59-42 win over NC State in Littlejohn Coliseum on January 27th. Clemson had been 0-5 in the ACC prior to the game.
Will Solomon scored 15 points to lead the Tigers in scoring, but it was the play of freshman point guard Edward Scott that provided the spark for Clemson. Coming off the bench and seeing his first playing time in four games, Scott scored 10 points, had three rebounds and five assists. He also had two steals for his 34 minutes of play. Most importantly, he held Justin Gainey to no points and no assists in 27 minutes of play. Gainey had lit up Clemson for 28 points on 7-7 shooting the last time the two teams met.
Adam Allenspach added 12 points, while Chucky Gilmore added 10 rebounds for the Tigers, who are ranked 14th in the country in rebounding.
Clemson’s defense held NC State to just 42 points, its starters to just 15 points. Anthony Grundy scored nine, but Damien Wilkens, Damon Thornton and Kenny Inge all scored just two points apiece. Gainey was shut out. Only the three-point shooting of Archie Miller kept the Pack in the game. He was 5-9 on three-point goals.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half. The Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead to open the game in the first three minutes. Clemson held the Pack to five points in the first 12 and a half minutes, as NC State made just two of its first 15 shots. Clemson did not take advantage as Clemson went 8:34 without scoring at one point. Clemson held a 23-17 lead at halftime.
Clemson brought the lead to 34-21 at 13:31 left on a layup by Adam Allenspach. But, Miller started hitting three-point goals and brought the Pack back to 42-38 with 7:36 left on the fourth three of the half by Miller. But, that was the last field goal he would make. Clemson then went on a 17-4 run to end the game. Solomon scored seven points down the stretch.
Clemson won the rebounding battle 40-36 and had 15 assists and 15 turnovers. It was the first time in eight games that Clemson had at least the same amount of assists as turnovers. NC State had a 5/19 assist/turnover ratio. The Tigers were 14-27 from the field in the second half.
Walkon Holt Makes Contribution Walker Holt made his first career start at Maryland. The original walk-on who is now on scholarship for this season was the first original walk-on to start a game for the Tigers since the 1985-86 season when Jeff Holstein started at Georgia Tech.
Holt, a freshman from Greensboro, NC did not score in the game in 25 minutes (he took just two shots), but did have a season high five rebounds and three assists with just one turnover. He had a career high 12 points on 5-7 shooting against Appalachian State on January 19. He had those 12 points in 20 minutes. He had not scored over three points in a game all year prior to that contest.
Holt’s performance against Appalachian State included a midcourt shot at the end of the half that swished through the nets, the longest shot made by a Clemson player in the history of Littlejohn Coliseum. That fact is according to longtime Clemson SID Bob Bradley and 32-year play-play man Jim Phillips, who have seen almost every game in the history of the Coliseum. Wake Forest’s Rod Griffin made a shot just inside midcourt against the Tigers in 1978, but that is the closest long bomb anyone can remember.
Holt’s improvement could be traced to the “buzz cut” his teammates gave him on the road trip to North Carolina on January 5. Holt had long curly locks prior to that and the trim has had the opposite affect it had on Sampson (not Ralph, but mythology).
Since he had the locks cut, Holt has played 97 minutes, has shot 8 of 15 from the field, including 4-7 on three-point shots. He is 25-6 from the line, has 13 rebounds and nine assists to go with 25 points. Prior to the haircut, Holt had played 88 minutes in 10 games, scored just four points, had eight assists and nine rebounds. He was 2-9 from the field.
What Clemson has Done Well Rebounding–Tigers are +7.4 for the season, first in the ACC and tied for the best in Clemson history. Clemson was 14th in the nation in rebounding last week.Tigers have been out-rebounded in just three games all year and have had a double digit rebound margin against 10 opponents.
Defense–Clemson has allowed opponents to make just 39 percent of their shots. Only one team (third rnaked Duke) has shot over 46 percent against Clemson this year.
Free Throw Shooting–Clemson has made 67 percent of its free throws this year, up from 62.5 last year. Clemson has made 70 percent in ACC games. Clemson has made at least 70 percent of its free throws in six of the last seven games.
Where Clemson has Struggled Three-Point Shooting–Clemson has made just 29.8 percent from beyond the arc. Opponents have made more three-point goals than Clemson in 11 straight games and 17 of 20 games this year. Opponents have scored 135 more points on 3-point goals this year.
Assist/turnover ratio–Clemson has had more turnovers than assists in 14 of 20 games. Clemson has committed 119 more turnovers than the opposition and has 85 more turnovers than assists.
Forcing Turnovers–Opponents have had more assists than turnovers in 10 of the last 11 games. A nine game streak was snapped in the win over NC State. Clemson has just 89 steals compared to 162 by the opposition.
Free Throw Attempts–In ACC play the opposition has attempted 61 more free throws than Clemson in the seven games.
Solomon Leads Clemson in Scoring and Assists Will Solomon leads the Tigers in scoring and assists per game, a rarity in college basketball. In fact, only two players in the last 30 years have done that over the course of a season for Clemson. Chris Whitney led the Tigers in both areas in 1992-93 and Terrell McIntyre did it last year. Prior to that you have to go back to Butch Zatezalo in 1968-69 to find the last time a Tiger led the Team in scoring and assists in the same season.
Solomon Three-point Goal Streak at 24 Clemson guard Will Solomon has made at least one three-point goal in each game this year and has a streak of 24 straight with at least one three-point goal over two years. This is the third longest streak of its kind in Clemson history. His streak started with the last four games of 1998-99, all NIT games, and has continued through the first 16 games this year.
Terrell McIntyre holds the record with 26 games in a row set over the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. Chris Whitney, now with the Washington Wizzards, had a 25-game streak, the last 25 games of his career.
In fact, Whitney and McIntyre have the top four streaks in Clemson history. So, Solomon is just the third different Tiger in history to have a streak of at least 20 in a row. Solomon has 86 three-point goals for his career, 10th in Clemson history. Solomon tied the Clemson single game record for three-point goals with eight against Virginia. He had at least three three-point goals in each of the seven games in the month of December has had multiple three-point goals in 16 of the first 20 games this season.
Solomon is coming off one of his best three-point shooting efforts, he was 4-6 at Duke on January 29th.
Clemson Consecutive Game Streak with a Three-Point Goal
Clemson Recent Wins over Ranked Teams Clemson just finished a stretch of three straight games against ranked teams, the first time since the 1995-96 season that Clemson has played three straight top 25 teams. Clemson defeated #21 NC State in the middle game of the stretch, its first ranked win of the season. Clemson has now defeated at least one ranked opponent each of the last 14 years.
Recent Clemson top 25 Wins
Allenspach Records Career High Clemson center Adam Allenspach scored 24 points in Clemson’s loss to Appalachian State on January 19. That was his career high scoring effort and it was in fact the highest scoring game for a Clemson center since Sharone Wright scored 25 points at Wake Forest on Feb. 22, 1994. Allenspach connected on 7-11 field goals and 10-12 free throws.
His free throw shooting stats were also a career high. He made his last nine free throws of the game and is now shooting 71 percent from the line for the year. The native of Parkland, FL is trying to become the first Clemson center to lead the Tigers in free throw shooting since Ed Brinkley shot 77.8 percent in 1956-57. That is the only free throw shooting percentage over 75 percent for a season by a Clemson center in history.
Allenspach had five straight double figure scoring games and was averaging 16 points a contest prior to the Duke game in Durham when he went down with a bulging disk in his back. He had 12 points and seven rebounds in the win over NC State.
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