December 7, 2003
CLEMSON'S STOKES LEADS LADY TIGERS TO 74-66 WIN OVER FURMAN
GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Though three Lady Paladins scored in double figures against Clemson, it was not enough to overcome Lady Tiger guard Lakeia Stokes' 28 point effort, which led Clemson to a 74-66 victory Sunday at Timmons Arena.
Clemson took an early lead, but could never stretch the first half advantage to more than four. With 9:23 left in the period senior center Orion Wake connected to two free throws to tie the game at 21, then Deshara Shealey gave the Lady Paladins a 23-21 lead on a fastbreak with 8:29 remaining. At the seven minute mark Furman had stretched its lead to seven, but the Lady Tigers went on a 9-1 run to pull ahead by three with 4:40 on the clock. The Lady Paladins battled back and tied the game at 36 with 1:33 left to play, then went ahead 38-36 on a Princess Wells fade away jumper that rolled in as the shot clock expired. Clemson answered with a pair of made free throws with 31 seconds left in the half, and the teams entered halftime tied at 38.
Jen Nadalin paced the Furman scoring effort in the first period with eight points, while Tommi Paris contributed seven and Orion Wake totaled six. The Lady Tigers were paced by Stokesı eight, but Furman had the field goal shooting advantage with a 45.8% mark from the field.
Clemson took the lead in the first minute of the second half, but Furman was able to tie the game on seven occasions in the period, the last time at the 8:33 mark. Stokes went on a tear, scoring 20 of Clemsonıs 36 points in the period. At the same time the Clemson zone forced Furman to slow its pace and led to 14 second half Lady Paladin turnovers.
"We played hard, but in the second half they went zone and that stopped us from running the floor, put a premium on us executing our passes and stopped our dribble penetration," said Furman coach Sam Dixon following the game. "That was really the difference."
Nadalin, Paris, and Kim Lawrence each ended the night in double figures for Furman, with 12, 12, and 10 respectively. Wake also contributed nine points, while pulling down a team-high 13 boards, leading to a rebounding draw with both Furman and Clemson claiming 40 for the game.
In addition to Stokes' 28-point effort, the Tigers were paced by Julie Talley and Maggie Slosser's nine point showings, and an eight point effort by Amanda White. With the win Clemson improves to 5-1 on the year, while Furman falls to 2-2. The Lady Tigers are in action again on Saturday, Dec. 13, when they host Western Kentucky, while Furman will host Lander on the same date at 3 p.m.