#12 UVA Up Next for Tigers |
Clemson vs. Virginia Series
Virginia holds a 56-43 advantage in the series with Clemson, a series that dates to 1936 when Clemson won at Charlottesville, 45-34. That was the only meeting between the two teams prior to the formation of the ACC. Since 1955 Clemson and Virginia have met at least twice per season. Virginia has won each of the last two meetings (both last year), but the teams have split the last 10 games. Clemson had won four in a row over Virginia in Littlejohn Coliseum by an average of 14 points prior to last year's 98-91 win by the Cavaliers. That includes Clemson's impressive 88-65 win in 1998-99, Larry Shyatt's first year as Clemson head coach. The Tigers don't fare well in close games against Virginia. In fact, in the last 22 years, regardless of site, Clemson is 2-15 against the Cavaliers in games decided by five points or less. That includes six straight losses since a 65-62 Clemson win at Clemson in 1988, a game that was won on a baseline jumper by Elden Campbell in the last five seconds of the game. For a period of time the series featured many close games. In the 1980s, 11 games were decided by five points or less, including nine that were decided by two or one point. In the 1990s, just five were decided by five or less. University Hall has been a building of horrors for Clemson the last 22 years. Clemson has a 3-19 record in the building since 1979 and all three wins have come in special seasons. Clemson has a 17-15 lead in games played at Littlejohn Coliseum, however, and a 28-18 lead in games played on the Clemson campus. Last year vs. Virginia Virginia 98, Clemson 91 January 15, 2000 at Clemson Virginia held off the scoring of Will Solomon in gaining a 98-91 win over Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum on January 15. Solomon scored 43 points, most by a Clemson player in 30 years, but it was not enough. Chris Williams and Donald Hand each had 18 points to lead Virginia, who nearly became the first team to score 100 points against the Tigers in six years. Solomon made 14-21 shots from the field overall, including a career high tying 8-12 three-point shots. He added 7-10 free throws and had nine rebounds. Solomon had 14 points in the first half and 29 in the second. Pasha Bains and Adam Allenspach added 16 apiece for the Tigers, who scored 59 points in the second half on 60 percent shooting. Turnovers were the big story for the Tigers, who played without starting point guard Edward Scott and reserve guard Dustin Braddick. Clemson had 25 turnovers compared to just eight for Virginia. Clemson won the battle of the boards by 18 (48-30) thanks to a career high 12 rebounds by Chucky Gilmore, and made 11-20 three-point shots, 55 percent. Virginia led just 27-23 with 7:40 to go in the first half when the visitors went on a 23-9 run to end the first half. That included a 13-2 run to end the first half. Colin Ducharne and Stephane Dondon had a pair of field goals apiece during the run. Virginia moved the lead to 22 at 64-42 just five minutes into the second half. Pasha Bains and Will Solomon then got Clemson back into the game with some outside shooting. First, Clemson cut the margin to 10 at 76-66 with five minutes left. Andrius Jurkunas then made it a five point game with 3:36 left on a three-point goal from the top of the key. It was a four-point game at 89-85 on a layup by Solomon with 50 seconds left. But the Cavs would not miss at the foul line. They were 26-32 from the line for the game, including 7-7 by freshmen Majestic Mapp and Stephane Dondon off the bench in the last five minutes. Virginia 76, Clemson 62 Feb. 15, 2000 at Charlottesville Virginia used balance scoring and jumped to a 17-point lead in the first half, and defeated Clemson 76-62 in Charlottesville. Donald Hand scored 21 points and had six assists to lead Virginia, while Chris Williams added 16. Adam Hall scored 10 points and did a solid defensive job on Will Solomon, who scored 13 points on 4-13 shooting. He had scored 43 points against Virginia in the previous meeting, a game that Hall missed. Clemson was led in scoring by Adam Allenspach, who had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. It was his first extended performance since suffering a back injury at Duke. Ray Henderson had nine points and eight rebounds. Clemson won the battle of the boards, 39-31, but committed 19 turnovers and shot just 2-12 on three-point shots. Shyatt, Gillen Both Coached at Providence Larry Shyatt and Pete Gillen have a common school in their history. Both coached with the Providence Friars. Shyatt was an assistant under Rick Barnes from 1988-94 and was on the staff that won the only Big East Tournament Championship in the school's history. Gillen was the head coach at Providence after Barnes left and took the Friars to the Final Eight of the NCAA Tournament two years ago. Gillen ended up coaching many of the players Shyatt had recruited to Providence, including first-round draft choice Austin Croshere. Clemson Veterans vs. Virginia
G-GS Min FG-A 3-A FT-A Reb A-T B-S Pts. Avg.
Allenspach 6-3 108 16-37 0-0 15-17 29 3-9 0-2 47 7.8
Solomon's 41-Point Game, 5th best in the Nation
Will Solomon's 41-point scoring game against Georgia Tech on
January 24 ranks in a tie for the fifth highest scoring game in the
nation this year. The top figure is the 44-point outing by Okechi
Egbe of Tennessee-Martin against Bethel on November 20th. There
have been two 43-point games and one 42-point outing across the
country this year at the Division I level.
Four other players have had a 41-point outing this season.
It was the highest scoring game by an ACC player this year, the
second year in a row Solomon can make that claim. He had a 43-point
game against Virginia last year on January 15th.
Highest Scoring Games in Division I 1999-2000
Player, Team Opponent Date Pts
Okechi Egbe, UT-Martin Bethel 11-20-00 44
Clarence Gilbert, Missouri Iowa State 1-13-01 43
Cory Schwab, Northern Ariz. Cal-Poly 12-2-00 43
Thomas Terrell, Georgia St. Jacksonville 1-8-01 42
Will Solomon, Clemson Georgia Tech 1-24-01 41
Tarise Bryson, Illinois St. Cen Michigan 12-3-00 41
Ron Williamson, Howard Georgetown 12-16-00 41
Willie Taylor, VCU Evansville 12-20-00 41
Brandon Armstrong, Pepperdine Charlotte 12-29-00 41
Solomon's 41-point Outing Sixth Best in Clemson History
Will Solomon's 41-point scoring game against Georgia Tech was
the sixth highest scoring performance in Clemson history. It was
just the seventh game of 40 points or more by a Tiger player dating
to 1912, the first year of Clemson basketball. Solomon, Bill
Yarborough and Butch Zatezalo now each have two 40-point scoring
games apiece.
Solomon is the only Clemson player since 1970 to have a
40-point scoring game. Butch Zatezalo was the last player before
Solomon to do it.
Solomon made 13-22 shots from the field, 7-12 three-point
attempts and 8-9 from the foul line in his 41-point game against
Tech. He played all 40 minutes. The native of East Hartford, CT
scored 26 points in the first half when he made 8-12 from the field,
including 6 of his first 7.
J.O. Erwin has the Clemson single game scoring record with 58
points in just the second game in Clemson basketball history. Erwin
had 29 field goals for 58 total points in Clemson's 78-6 win that
afternoon. It was actually the second game of the day for Erwin and
the Tigers. Earlier at Furman, Erwin had 22 points in a win over
Furman. Thus, he scored 80 points that day, the reason Clemson has a
single day scoring record that is different from its single game
scoring record in the Clemson basketball press guide.
Clemson Single Game Scoring Bests
Pt Player Site-Opponent Date 58 J.O. Erwin N2-Butler Guards 2-9-12 46 Bill Yarborough H-South Carolina 1-18-55 46 Butch Zatezalo A-Wake Forest 2-18-69 43 Butch Zatezalo N1-NC State 2-14-70 43 Will Solomon H-Virginia 1-15-00 41 Will Solomon H-Georgia Tech 1-24-01 40 Bill Yarborough H-Virginia 12-17-54 N2--at Greenville, SC, N1--at Charlotte, NC
Solomon on Hot Streak
Will Solomon has scored 71 points over his last two games.
He scored 30 at Wake Forest on January 21 and 41 against Virginia on
January 24th. His shooting stats breakdown to 22-39 on overall field
goals (.564), 12-23 on three-point shots (.522) and 15-18 on free
throw shooting (.833) for the two games combined. The 71 points
scored in consecutive games is a high for Solomon. The record for
points scored in consecutive games by a Clemson player is 81, set by
Butch Zatezalo during the 1968-69 season.
Zatezalo, scored 35 against North Carolina on February
15th, 1969, then scored 46 against Wake Forest on Feb. 18, 1969. He
followed that with 25 against Maryland on Feb. 23, 1969, giving him
106 for a three-game period. That is the three-game record, so
Solomon would have to scored 37 against Virginia to break the
three-game mark.
Solomon Career Scoring Average 6th in Clemson History
With his recent scoring burst, Will Solomon has moved to
seventh in Clemson history on the points per game chart. Solomon has
averaged at least 20 points a game over the last two years to raise
his average to 15.33 for his 82-game career. He moved ahead of Elden
Campbell on a per game basis with his 41-point scoring binge against
Georgia Tech.
Solomon now ranks second among players who played during an
era of freshman eligibility. Bill Yarborough is the only player who
played four years that is above Solomon. All the others were not
eligible until their sophomore years under NCAA rules during the
1953-73 period. (Note that Randy Mahaffey played part of a fourth
season, but red-shirted due to injury).
Solomon has moved to 16th in Clemson history in total points
scored (1257), second in career three-point goals (184), third in
three-point goals per game (2.24), eighth in three-point percentage
(.372), eighth in 20-point games (27), and seventh in scoring
average.
Clemson Career Scoring Average Leaders
Rk Name Yrs Years GP Pts Avg 1. Butch Zatezalo 3 1967-70 75 1761 23.48 2. Bill Yarborough 5 1952-57 85 1553 18.27 3. Vince Yockel 3 1955-58 74 1350 18.24 4. Jim Brennan 3 1961-64 76 1317 17.33 5. Jim Sutherland 3 1964-67 71 1230 17.32 6. Randy Mahaffey 4 1966-70 73 1171 16.04 7. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 82 1257 15.33 8. Elden Campbell 4 1986-90 123 1883 15.28 9. Choppy Patterson 4 1959-63 76 1131 14.88 10. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 1839 14.60
Solomon Outstanding vs. Ranked Teams
Will Solomon has been outstanding against top flight
competition this year. In six games against top 20 teams he has
scored 155 points, a 25.8 average. In those six games he has shot 49
percent from the field, 47.3 percent on three-point attempts and 81.8
percent from the foul line. All those figures are better than his
stats against unranked teams. Solomon has five games of at least 30
points this year and four of them have come against Top 20 teams.
In his most recent outing against a ranked team, Solomon
scored 30 points at ninth-ranked Wake Forest. He made 9-17 shots
from the field, 5-11 on three-point shots and 7-9 from the foul line.
He also added three rebounds and three steals. Earlier this year he
scored 31 against a 10th ranked Seton Hall team, 32 against a 20th
ranked Cincinnati team and 32 against a 17th ranked Maryland team.
In the Seton Hall game he scored those 31 points in just 30 minutes.
Solomon against Ranked Teams in 2000-01
Opponent (Rk) Min FG-A 3FG-A FT-A Reb Ast Pts Seton Hall (10) 30 11-19 5-7 4-4 4 0 31 Cincinnati (20) 33 9-21 5-10 9-11 1 3 32 Maryland (17) 37 10-18 7-11 5-7 5 3 32 at Duke (3) 29 5-12 1-6 2-2 1 3 13 at NC (6) 33 7-17 3-10 0-0 3 5 17 at Waket (10) 34 9-17 5-11 7-9 3 1 30 Totals 196 51-104 26-55 27-33 17 15 155 Averages (32.7) (.490) (.473) (.818) (2.8) (2.5) (25.8)
Solomon Improved over Last Year
Clemson guard Will Solomon was named first-team All-ACC last
year as a sophomore, the first Clemson guard to be named first team
in 20 years, the first sophomore or freshman to earn first-team
honors from Clemson in 25 years. Based on his production so far this
year, he will again be a strong candidate for the honor. No
Clemson player in history has ever been first-team All-ACC in two
different seasons.
Solomon has shown improvement in just about every area this
year, including scoring and all three of the shooting percentages.
He has done it while playing less time (36 minutes a game last year
to 34.5 minutes a game this year). Additionally, his assist/turnover
ratio is improved. As he did last year, his stats in ACC games are
better than in non-conference games.
Category 1999-00 2000-01
Scoring Average 20.9 23.2 Field Goal % .401 .444 3pt Shooting .375 .404 Free Throw % .684 .807 Assist/Turnover 0.76 0.83 Steals/Game 1.27 1.67 Minutes/Game 36.0 34.5 Scoring in ACC Games 21.3 27.0 FG % ACC Games .422 .495
Solomon Had 6 Straight 20-point Games
Clemson guard Will Solomon scored at least 20 points in six
consecutive games between December 20 to January 2. The junior from
East Hartford, CT averaged 26.2 points a game during the six games.
The streak was stopped at Duke when he was held to 13 points by 6-6
Blue Devil forward Nate James.
Solomon talled 32 points in two of the games in the streak,
both against ranked opponents. He had 32 in an eight-point loss to
20th ranked Cincinnati and also had 32 in Clemson's 12-point loss to
17th-ranked Maryland. Playing well against top opposition is
nothing new for Solomon. Last year he had a higher scoring average
in ACC games than in non-conference contests.
Solomon's streak of six consecutive 20-point games was the
longest since Horace Grant had six straight during the 1986-87
season, the year he became Clemson's only ACC MVP. Grant's streak
was stopped by North Carolina when he scored 19. The Clemson
record for consecutive 20-point games is 19, held by the late Bill
Yarborough. He scored at least 20 in the last three games of 1953-54
and the first 16 of the 1954-55 season. Yarborough averaged 28.3
points a game in 1954-55 and scored at least 20 in every game. His
only non-20 point game was an 18-point outing.
Solomon has already established one Clemson streak record
this year. He has scored in double figures in 48 straight games,
every game last year and all 18 games he has played so far this
season. He has a streak of 23 straight ACC games in double
figures.The previous mark was by Vince Yockel, who had 36 in a row
over two seasons in the 1950s. Solomon's current 48-game streak is
the longest active streak in the ACC. The ACC record book does not
have a listing for consecutive games of double figure scoring. North
Carolina's Larry Miller had a 64-game streak in the 1960s.
Former Tiger Saves Nearly 400 Lives
Will be Honored Saturday at Virginia Game
Former Clemson forward Clarke Bynum was in the national news
on December 30. The native of Sumter, SC saved the lives of 379
passengers on a British Airways flight from London to Nairobi, Kenya.
Bynum, asleep two rows from the cockpit, was jolted awake when the
plane went into a nosedive. The pilots were screaming for help and
Bynum came to the rescue.
He wrestled a madman to the floor, allowing the pilots to
straighten out the plane. The man apparently wanted to kill himself
and everyone in the plane. Later, the pilots told Bynum the plane
was just three seconds from crashing. Bynum, 39, is an insurance
agent and was traveling to Uganda with a small interdenominational
organization called the African Christian Trust Service.
Bynum's heroics were documented in USA Today and other
national news agencies and he was interviewed by Good Morning America
and the Today Show.
Bynum lettered four seasons for the Tigers from 1980-84. He
started 23 games and played in 92 games overall for his career. He
averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds, shot 73 percent from the foul
line and 45 percent from the field. He started the first nine games
of the 1980-81 season, a Clemson team that finished the year with 20
wins and an NIT bid. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the
last week of the regular season that year, then scored 14 points in
the NIT game against Temple. He had his best game as a Tiger
against Austin Peay on December 2, 1981 when he had 18 points, eight
rebounds and eight assists.
Bynum played his best basketball for Clemson during the
team's eight-games in the FIBA International World Cup in Spain in
the summer of 1981. He averaged a team best 20 points per game and
shot 58 percent from the field for the tournament. He scored 30
points against tournament champion Real Madrid.
Bynum will be honored by Clemson on Saturday, prior to the
Clemson vs. Virginia game.
Last Time Out
Georgia Tech 111, Clemson 108
Will Solomon scored 41 points, the sixth highest single game
and just the seventh 40-point scoring game in school history, but it
was not enough as Georgia Tech outlasted Clemson 111-108 on January
24 at Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson fell to 10-9 overall,
1-5 in the ACC, while Tech won its second ACC road game of the year
and improved to 11-7 overall.
Clemson was playing without starting center Adam Allenspach,
who missed his second straight game with a back ailment, and starting
point guard Edward Scott, who missed the game with a case of the flu.
Alvin Jones had perhaps his finest all-around game at Tech as
the senior had 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 30
minutes. Jones, a 61.5 percent free throw shooter entering the game,
made 14-19 from the foul line for Tech. He was supported by Shaun
Fein, who made 7-9 three-point shots and scored 23 in just 25
minutes. Halston Lane scored 17 points in just 21 minutes off the
bench to provide support.
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field overall and
from three-point land. Both teams scored at least 50 points in each
half. Tech made 17-31 three-point shots, a school record for
three-point goals in a game, while Clemson made 14-28, the third most
made three-point goals in Clemson history. The Tigers made 34-42
from the foul line, including 14 in a row to open the game, and 81
percent for the game. It was just the second time since 1969 that
Clemson made 34 free throws, yet lost the game.
Tony Stockman supported Solomon with 20 points and six
assists. He scored 18 points in the second half. Pasha Bains scored
12 points, all in the second half, on a perfect 4-4 shooting night.
Starting center Ray Henderson added 12 points, including a career
best 6-6 from the foul line.
Both teams scored in bunches. Tech scored 36 points in the
first 10 minutes and had a 14-point lead. It was a 16-point lead at
48-32 at the 6:12 mark on a three-point shot by Lane. Tech made 13
of 20 three-point goals in the first half alone, but the Tigers
scored 23 points in the last 7:21 to get within six at intermission.
Solomon scored 26 points in the first half for the Tigers, but he
could not counteract the three-point shooting by Tech. The Yellow
Jackets had five different players made at least two three-point
goals in the first half alone.
Clemson again fell behind by 16 in the second half, first at
92-76, then by a 97-81 score with 6:49 left. But, Clemson scored 27
points in the last 6:42 of the game. A Pasha Bains three-point goal
with 1:23 left cut the margin to 105-104. It was 110-108 with 25
seconds left when Clemson got the ball back with a chance to tie, but
Will Solomon's jumper missed. Solomon had a three-pointer to tie
with five seconds left, but the shot missed and Tech held on.
Clemson saw both of its top big men, Ray Henderson and Chris
Hobbs, foul out, but Clemson still won the rebound battle, 36-27.
Dustin Braddick had six rebounds to lead Clemson, four offensive.
Tech scored 111 points, but starting point guard Tony Akins did not
score before he fouled out.
Hobbs Pulling in the Rebounds
Clemson freshman Chris Hobbs has taken over the team lead in
total rebounds this year with 110. He had 13 at Wake Forest, his
second highest total of the year. He had 15 in a game against The
Citadel earlier this year, most by a Clemson freshman in five years.
He has jumped ahead of Adam Allenspach in terms of total rebounds,
but Allenspach, limited by a back injury, still has the per game lead.
Hobbs has been on a rebounding surge of late, he has led
Clemson in that area in four of the last six games, all against ACC
competition. He is now averaging 7.3 rebounds per league game, one
of the top seven averages in league play.
How productive has Hobbs been when it comes to carom
collecting? When comparing Hobbs against the great Clemson
rebounders in history his freshman rebounds per minute figure stands
second only to Tree Rollins. Rollins grabbed a rebound every 2.52
minutes his freshman season (1973-74), while Hobbs gets one every
2.82 minutes. Hobbs is ahead of the freshman pace set by such greats
as Dale Davis, Elden Campbell, Horace Grant, Sharone Wright and
Larry Nance.
His father, Greg Hobbs, is a videographer for Duke Medical
Center. In his spare time, he has served as a videographer for
Coach Mike Krzyzewski's television show. Many times Chris tagged a
long to watch the game. Both of his parents are North Carolina
graduates.
Clemson's Best Rebounds/Minute by Freshmen
Player Year Min Reb Min/R Tree Rollins 1973-74 795 316 2.52 Chris Hobbs 2000-01 310 110 2.82 Dale Davis 1987-88 714 223 3.20 Sharone Wright 1991-92 747 227 3.29 Larry Nance 1977-78 273 78 3.50 Elden Campbell 1986-87 534 126 4.24 Horace Grant 1983-84 551 129 4.27
Clemson Three-Point Shooting Improved
Clemson is much improved this year when it comes to the
perimeter aspect of the game. The Tigers are shooting 37.4 percent
on three-point shots and limiting teams to 33 percent in that same
category. Clemson is averaging 8.47 three-point goals per game,
above the previous record rate of 7.06 per game set in 1993-94.
They are shooting and making more threes and doing it at the third
best percentage in school history.
Clemson's 1986-87 team made 203 of 453 three-point attempts,
a .448 figure, still by far the Clemson record and still the ACC mark
for that category. Clemson's 1991-92 team made 38.2 percent and the
current 36.5 figure is third.
Leading the way in terms of three-point shooting is Will
Solomon, who has made 65 three-point goals in 18 games, 3.61 per
game. Solomon's 3.61 per game figure is ahead of the 3.34 per game
by Clemson's entire team in 1989-90, the Tiger squad that won the
school's only ACC regular season championship.
Clemson's Top Three-Point Goal/Game Teams
Season Made GP 3FG/G 2000-01 161 19 8.47 1993-94 240 34 7.06 1994-95 197 28 7.04 1998-99 233 35 6.66 1986-87 203 31 6.55 1992-93 192 30 6.40 1999-00 189 30 6.30 Clemson's top 3-Point Percentage Seasons Season Made Att Pct 1986-87 203 453 .448 1991-92 161 422 .382 2000-01 161 431 .374 1994-95 197 554 .356 1998-99 233 665 .350
Group Tickets on Sale
The Clemson University Athletic Department Ticket Office is
offering a limited number of group tickets for the following Men's
ACC Basketball games at $5.00 each. The minimum amount to order is
twenty (20) per game. All group tickets are located in the Upper
Arena of Littlejohn Coliseum.
The special offer will be available for the following games: Jan. 27, 2001 Virginia 4:00 PM Feb. 21, 2001 Wake Forest 7:00 PM March 3, 2001 Florida State 12:00 Noon
You may contact Lynn Sparks at 864-656-4288 for group ticket information.
What Clemson has Done Well
*Three-point Shooting--Clemson has averaged 8.47 three-point
goals a game, a record pace for the program, and is hitting .374 on a
percentage basis. Clemson has three players hitting at least 39
percent on three-point shots. Clemson is actually shooting 41
percent on three-point shots in ACC games, ahead of its overall
figure.
*Free Throw Shooting--Clemson has made 71.5 percent of its
free throws this year. No Clemson team has made 70 percent for a
season since the 1986-87 season, Horace Grant's senior season.
Leading the way are guards Will Solomon and Tony Stockman. Clemson
made 17-20 on the road at Wake Forest, then made 34 of 42 against
Georgia Tech. Thus, Clemson is 51 of its last 62 from the foul line
over two games, .823.
Where Clemson has Struggled
*Rebounding--We say this in the comparative sense because
Clemson has been so strong in rebounding for many years. Clemson
has been first or second in the ACC in rebounding each of the last
two years. The Tigers are outrebounding the opposition for the
season, 39-38 (per game), but the opposition has 26 more offensive
rebounds. The Tigers are limited in terms of post players due to the
season ending injury to Chucky Gilmore and Adam Allenspach's back
problems. Clemson did outrebound Georgia Tech by nine in its latest
game.
*Assist/turnover ratio--Clemson has 274 assists and 314
turnovers so far this season. That includes a 71/110 assist/turnover
ratio in six ACC games. Clemson committed 20 turnovers at North
Carolina and 21 more in an eight-point loss at Wake Forest The
Tigers are averaging 16.5 turnovers per game and only NC State is
committing more per game (16.8).
Clifton Showing Improvement
After scoring just seven points in the first six games of the
season, freshman forward Dwon Clifton has scored 68 in the last 12
games. That includes consecutive games of nine points. He had nine
on 4-6 shooting in the win over NC State, then had nine points on 3-4
shooting at North Carolina. The native of Louisburg, NC has made 10
of his last 20 shots from the field, including five of his last eight
three-points.
Clifton has just four turnovers in his last 113 minutes of play.
Clifton had a highlight at the end of the North Carolina
game when he had a rebound dunk after a running start from the foul
line. The play was listed as the sixth best highlight of the day on
ESPN's SportsCenter.
Henderson Productive Rebounder
Ray Henderson has stepped up his game of late,
especially when it comes to rebounding. His playing time has
increased due to the back problems that Adam Allenspach is dealing
with at this time. The native of Charlotte, NC has collected 44
rebounds in his last six games, 7.3 per outing and all have come
against ACC opponents.Henderson had a career high 13 rebounds at Duke
in just 19 minutes, he followed that with 10 rebounds in the win over
NC State. He added eight rebounds in just 23 minutes at North
Carolina and seven in 29 minutes at Wake Forest. For the year,
Henderson has 97 points and 90 rebounds.
For the season, Henderson is shooting a team best 56
percent from the field. He has made his last eight free throws,
including 6-6 against Georgia Tech when he scored 12 points in 22
minutes.
Clemson's Last Victory
Clemson 72, NC State 69
Will Solomon scored 29 points, including 25 in the second
half and all seven of Clemson's points in the final 2:41, leading the
Tigers to a 72-69 win over NC State on January 13. The victory was
the first of the season in conference play for the Tigers, who have
now won five of six against the Wolfpack. The win was the 10th of
the year for the Tigers, equalling the win total of last last year
for Larry Shyatt's team.
Clemson improved dramatically on defense in its win over NC
State. The Tigers had given up 219 points in their first two ACC
games and had allowed 54 percent shooting. But, Clemson held the
Pack to 29.9 percent shooting, tying for the best field goal
percentage defense of the year, and best in an ACC game since
February of 1998 when Florida State shot just 26.8 percent against
the Tigers in Tallahassee.
Solomon scored 25 of Clemson's 43 second-half points, but he
did have significant support from his teammates. Freshman forward
Chris Hobbs had a double-double, accumulating 10 points, 11 rebounds
and three assists in 28 minutes. Ray Henderson, who started at
center in place of the injured Adam Allenspach, had 10 rebounds and
eight points in 26 minutes. Edward Scott had 10 points and just two
turnovers in 38 minutes running the point. Dwon Clifton had nine
points on 4-6 shooting in 22 minutes.
Scott was a key on defense, holding Anthony Grundy, NC
State's top scorer and a 49 percent field goal shooter, to 6-27
shooting. Damien Wilkins shot just 1-10 against the Clemson defense.
Kenny Inge led the Pack with 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Pack
made just 20-67 shots from the field, 8-32 on three-point goals.
They entered the game shooting 42.5 percent on three-pointers.
State played without Archie Miller, who was leading the nation in
three-point percentage (.620) entering the contest.
The game was close throughout with few scoring runs. Over
the first 35 minutes of the game the largest lead for either team was
six points. The Pack had a 42-36 lead at the 16:05 mark when Kenny
Inge made a conventional three-point play. The Tigers then went on
a 20-8 run to take a 56-50 lead with 7:34 to play. Clemson expanded
the lead to 60-52 at 5:53 when the Pack called timeout. Clemson's
largest lead was 65-56 with 3:22 to go.
But, NC State went on a 9-2 run, highlighted by a pair of
three-point goals by Scooter Sherrill. Clemson led 71-69 with 16
seconds left, but Grundy was called for traveling with five seconds
left. Solomon made one free throw and Clifford Crawford's 40-foot
three-point attempt missed at the buzzer.
Allenspach Questionable for Virginia
Clemson's only senior on the roster, Adam Allenspach, did not
play in Clemson's win over NC State. He played just seven minutes
and did not score at North Carolina, then missed the Wake Forest and
Georgia Tech games altogether. The 7-1 center, who has played 110
games in his Clemson career, has missed time due to inflamation of
the Sacroilliac Joint (where hip meeds the spine). The problem
caused back spasms and a loss of motion and mobility. He is day to
day and would be classified as questionable for the Virginia game.
Allenspach had surgery this past summer to repair a herniated
disk. He has been troubled by the back problems off and on since
last year. He first went down due to the injury last year at Duke
when he collapsed just six minutes into the game due to the pain.
Allenspach has had many highlight moments this year. He was
still tied for first in the league in double-doubles with six
heading into the Wake Forest game. He had four in succession until
the streak came to an end against Cincinnati during a game in Puerto
Rico.
Allenspach had scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds vs.
Wofford Dec. 16 and had 15 points and15 rebounds at South Carolina,
then 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. Winthrop. The last Tiger to post
four consecutive double-doubles was Sharone Wright, who last did it
his sophomore year in 1992-93.
For the season, Allenspach is still third on the club
in scoring and first in rebounding per game. He has averaged 10.1
points and 7.1 rebounds per contest and leads the team in blocked
shots with 12. The rebounding average is still eighth in the league.
For his career, he has averaged 6.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and has shot
70.1 percent from the foul line, one of the top percentages in
history for a Clemson center.
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