Women’s Basketball Loses Heartbreaker to San Diego, 74-73

Nov. 27, 2004

SAN DIEGO – Julie Talley’s go-ahead three-pointer in the final 10 seconds was not enough to lift Clemson to its second victory of the season. San Diego center Sabine Loewe hit a jumper one step inside the three-point line with 2.6 seconds left to give the Toreros a 74-73 victory over Clemson. The Lady Tigers fell to 1-3 with the loss, while San Diego improved to 2-1 overall.

Talley, who had all of her 11 points in the second half, hit a three-pointer to give the Lady Tigers their first lead since the 15:23 mark of the first half at 73-72. The Toreros dribbled down the court and eventually found the 6-4 Loewe open at the top of the key for the game-winner.

Clemson erased a 15-point second-half deficit thanks to holding the Toreros at 72 points for over six minutes late in the game. In fact, San Diego’s first points since the 6:18 mark of the final period came on Loewe’s shot.

After having just one player reach double digits in scoring through their first three games, the Lady Tigers had four scorers in double figures against San Diego. Adrianne Bradshaw, Reggie Maddox, and Amanda White each had 12, while Talley contributed 11 for Clemson.

Bradshaw had 10 points in the first half for Clemson, including the first six on unconventional three-point plays in the paint. The Lady Tigers trailed 43-33 at the halftime break, largely in part to San Diego’s 9-16 shooting performance behind the three-point line. D’Lesha Lloyd had eight points in the first half for Clemson, including two behind the arc.

In the second half, Clemson tightened on defense and controlled the boards. The Lady Tigers ended with a +18 rebound margin despite the loss. San Diego had its biggest lead at 59-44 just over five minutes into the second half. The Toreros stretched the lead to 14 with 6:18 left in the game, leading 72-58. From that point, Clemson went on a 15-0 run.

Tasha Phillips had a key steal and four rebounds down the stretch to help fuel the comeback. Consecutive three-pointers by Talley and Maddox trimmed the lead to four. Phillips’ layup seconds later pulled the Lady Tigers to within two. Clemson took the lead with 11 seconds to go on Talley’s outside shot. The Lady Tigers committed just four turnovers in the second half.

The Lady Tigers return home to play host to Furman on Tuesday, November 30. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 at Littlejohn Coliseum for the game.