Wake Forest University
Clemson
Women's Hoops Holds Off Clemson, 66-55
2/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2003
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Icy conditions, downed trees and power outages throughout Winston-Salem didn't deter the Demon Deacon women's basketball team, as it defeated Clemson, 66-55, on Thursday night at Joel Coliseum.
With the victory, Wake Forest picks up its third ACC win of the season and improves to 13-13 overall, 3-12 in league play. It also avenges a 61-45 loss at Clemson last month. The Tigers also exit the game with a 13-13 overall mark, 5-10 in the ACC.
The Demon Deacons honored their three seniors - Johanna Bjorklund, Tiffani Listenbee and Heather Miller - in a pre-game ceremony.
The first half was one of streaks. Trailing 13-9 at the 11:50 mark, Wake Forest went 13-0 run, holding Clemson scoreless for a span of 5:41 and taking a 22-13 lead. The Tigers, however, then pulled to within three points on an unanswered pair of three-point baskets by Tabitha Vasilas. The Demon Deacons closed out the half on 6-3 run to own a 28-22 lead at halftime.
The Demon Deacons took control early in the second half, building as much as a 19-point lead midway through the second stanza. The Tigers clawed their way back in it, however, going on an eight-point run to cut it to eight, 53-45, with 2:54 remaining. At that point, Deacon junior Eafton Hill took the ball downcourt and scored on a quick three-pointer to boost the lead back to 11. Wake Forest then converted on 10 of 12 free throws down the stretch to hang on for the final 11-point victory, 66-55.
Wake Forest went to the charity stripe a season-high 34 times, converting on 21. The Deacons outrebounded Clemson,43-35, and shot just over 41 percent for the game compared to the Tigers' 37 percent.
Sophomore Erin Ferrell led the way for WFU, with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting. She also had five rebounds and went 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Freshman Cotelia Bond-Young added 13, including 9-of-12 from the stripe, and Tonia Brown posted 12. Hill finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Clemson's Chrissy Floyd was the only Tiger in double figures, scoring 16 to go along with eight rebounds. Lakeia Stokes had a game-high nine rebounds along with six points.
Wake Forest will play its final regular season game on Monday, March 3 when it travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech. Tipoff is 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on the ACC regional sports network.
Clemson Head Coach Jim Davis
"I give a lot credit to Wake Forest. They came out on senior night and played with much more energy. They were the better basketball team by far. We have to grow as a team."
"They were changing defenses and we had open looks that we couldn't knock down."
"We tried to turn it up defensively. Our pressure generated some rushed shots and forced some turnovers. If our defense works our offense follows."
Wake Forest Head Coach Charlene Curtis
"We want to have a winning season and we had to win tonight for that to happen. We had a great team effort and got a good start with our seniors in there. It was a complete team effort and we did exactly what we wanted to do defensively and it was a positive outcome."
"Defensively we had a scheme and followed it to perfection."
"We took some bad looks on the offensive end, but once we adjusted on the defensive end we got into a flow."
