Solomon Bails out the Tigers Once Again, 64-59

by TigerNet Staff - Sat Dec 18 21:52:35 GMT-04:00 1999

CLEMSON, SC -- Will Solomon played hero once more, scoring 22 points, as Clemson (5-5) narrowly defeated Winthrop 64-59 , Saturday afternoon. Solomon, Clemson's top scorer, hit five 3 pointers, but Winthrop (4-3) rallied to cut the lead to 61-59 with 56 seconds left.

After Winthrop's Eyo Effiong missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, Solomon tipped the inbounds pass away. Andrius Jurkunas hit two free throws to seal a Tiger victory.

Jurkunas, the senior member of the Tiger team, re-injured his right thumb in the first half. He still was able to contribute eight points, including the two valuable free throws at game's end. Injuries have kept the struggling Tigers from putting together any type of depth or consistency this season.

"We are not pretty and we have some reasons why we are not on offense, but we are not bad on D (defense) and we are a pretty good rebounding team," said Shyatt. "And maybe, just maybe, as soon as Dustin gets through this surgery tomorrow, we might be on the mend."

Newcomer Pasha Bains is proving to be some needed relief for the Tigers. He has

struggled from the field but given the Tigers some needed hustle and energy.

"I did not know that he would get on the floor like he has been for us or that he would take the ball to the hole," said Shyatt. "We need that because Juice is playing with a bad thumb."

Tyson Waterman led Winthrop scorers with 21 points. Last season Winthrop won the Big South Conference and secured a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"This is one of the finest coached, if not the finest coached team we have played against and the most talented," said Shyatt.

The Tigers will next play George Washington at Littlejohn Coliseum this Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET.

"They have already beaten Maryland on their home court and gone to five straight NCAA's. I

love it because this is what this ball club needs."

BOX SCORE

WINTHROP (4-3)

Lewis 1-9 0-0 2, Fisher 3-4 0-0 6, Effiong 4-7 0-0 8, Toxey 6-12 1-2 17,

Waterman 6-15 3-4 21, Knox 1-3 3-6 5, Barnes 0-0 0-0 0, Stockman 0-0 0-0 0,

Fisher 0-0 0-0 0, Myers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-50 7-12 59.

CLEMSON (5-5)

Jurkunas 2-7 2-2 8, Nagys 1-2 5-6 7, Allenspach 4-4 6-7 14, Solomon 7-15 3-7

22, Scott 2-8 0-0 6, Bains 1-6 1-2 3, Javtokas 1-3 0-0 2, Henderson 0-1 2-2 2,

Braddick 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-46 19-26 64.

Halftime-Winthrop 37, Clemson 37. 3-Point goals-Winthrop 10-26 (Waterman

6-11, Toxey 4-9, Effiong 0-1, Knox 0-2, Lewis 0-3), Clemson 9-31 (Solomon 5-12,

Scott 2-7, Jurkunas 2-7, Bains 0-5). Fouled out-Lewis. Rebounds-Winthrop 32

(Fisher, Knox 7), Cemson 37 (Allenspach 10). Assists-Winthrop 15 (Lewis, Toxey

4), Clemson (Jukunas 6). Total fouls-Winthrop 21, Clemson 15. A-8,000.

Clemson Player of the Game

Sophomore guard Will Solomon had 22 points and added three assists and two steals in Clemson’s 64-59 victory over Winthrop…the East Hartford, CT native was 7-15 from the field and 5-12 on threes...Solomon, the ACC's leading scorer, is averaging 26.8 ppg over the last five games.

GAME NOTES

Key Stat of the Game

Winthrop and Clemson were tied at the intermission 37-37…the Eagles were on fire in the first half from the perimeter, making good on nine of their 16 3-point attempts (56.3)…in the second half, Clemson stepped up its perimeter defense and the Eagles made only one of their 10 3-point tries.

Solomon’s Defense Key to Win

Winthrop’s Big South Preseason Player of the Year, Tyson Waterman, finished Saturday’s game with 21 points…Solomon guarded Waterman for 30 minutes in the game and only gave up nine of those 21 points…Solomon’s defense in the second half shut down Waterman as he was 0-6 with three points in the second stanza after pouring in 18 by halftime.

Andrius Jurkunas Contributing Without Scoring

Senior Andrius Jurkunas, who is nursing a broken thumb, continues to contribute in other ways without scoring…in the first nine minutes of Saturday’s game he had six assists…six of Clemson’s first seven field goals were off Jurkunas assists…he finished the contest with six assists and that total tied his career which dates back to December 6, 1995…"Juice" also added two blocks and two steals in 33 minutes of play.

Solomon Hits First Three 3-Point Atttempts

Solomon hit his first three 3-point attempts on Saturday, that gave him seven consecutive makes beyond the arc, dating back to Clemson’s win over South Carolina on Thursday night.

Adam Allenspach Records Third Double-Double of the Season

Junior Adam Allenspach finished Saturday’s game with 14 points and 10 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season…he was 4-4 from the field and 6-7 from the free throw line.

Dustin Braddick To Have Surgery Sunday

Sophomore Dustin Braddick will undergo surgery to correct a tendintis problem in his ankle on Sunday… head coach Larry Shyatt is optimistic that he will have Braddick back by Clemson’s first ACC game which is January 6 at North Carolina.

Odd, But True

Braddick now has in his career 39 field goals, 39 offensive rebounds, 39 personal fouls, 39 assists and 39 turnovers.

Clemson Freshmen Getting to the Free Throw Line

Clemson freshmen are making their way to the free throw line this season, check out the chart below…

Clemson Leaders in Free Throw Attempts per Minute

Min. FTA one every… Tomas Nagys* 107 33 3.24 (minutes)

Ray Henderson* 71 13 5.46

Will Solomon 365 54 6.76

Adam Allenspach 322 41 7.85

* - Freshman