Lady Tigers Defeat NCSU, 62-51 |
CLEMSON - Jim Davis figured the best way to keep Kaayla Chones from
single-handedly beating his Clemson team was to keep her from getting the ball. Chalk one up for Davis. The Lady Tigers' second-half switch to halfcourt pressure forced N.C.State into turnover after turnover Thursday night, allowing Clemson to pull away for a 62-51 win at Littlejohn Coliseum. The 6-foot-3 Chones scored 13 points in the first half and nine more in the first 7:00 of the second. But the sophomore scored just two more points after Clemson began applying the pressure. "I asked at halftime who slapped Chones and woke her up," Davis said. "She's a heck of a player, for sure. But it was in our game plan to use the pressure to pull their people away from the basket. Their guards are relatively young and had some problems, so we stuck with it for longer than we intended." The defensive surge served as a jumpstart for the Clemson (12-7, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) offense. Leading just 34-31 with 13:34 to go, the Lady Tigers went on a 19-7 run over the next 9:00 to take control, 55-38. Marci Glenney, who finished with a team-high 19, scored six during the spurt, with Chrissy Floyd and Lakeia Stokes added four each. Save for a 3-pointer by Julie Aderhold, all of Clemson's points during the stretch came in the paint as they turned Wolfpack (9-9, 3-4) mistakes into easy baskets. "We had a stretch of seven straight possessions where we turned the ball over and they took care of the ball," said State coach Kay Yow. "That was the game right there. Our point guards really struggled...Clemson's pressure defense in the second half took its toll on our team." The Wolfpack committed a total of 24 turnovers in the game, 11 during the final 13 minutes of the second half. Chones finished with a game-high 22 points to lead N.C. State.
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