Dec. 6, 2008
Final Stats
CLEMSON, S.C. - Ohio (2-5) had as much as a 16-point lead early in the second half, but the Bobcats dropped a heartbreaker to Clemson (7-2) in Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday, 60-57. Junior guard Jennifer Bushby led Ohio with 16 points and 11 rebounds, a career-high, for her first-career double-double. Senior forward Lauren Hmiel added 14 points and junior guard Jenny Poff had 12 points and seven assists for Ohio.
"I was proud of how our kids played tonight. They competed hard. We really played well coming out of the gate," commented head coach Semeka Randall. "Coming down the stretch, we needed to make plays, and we didn't. Give Clemson a lot of credit. They made big plays when they needed to. Games like this help you grow up quickly. We'll go back to the chalk board, learn from this and get better."
The 'Cats got off to a fast start, grabbing a 10-point lead after the first five minutes. Clemson did not reach double figures in points until over nine minutes into the contest, and Ohio led by 14 at the half. The Bobcats held the Tigers to 32 percent shooting from the floor, while the Bobcats knocked down 52 percent of their shots in the first period.
The second half saw Ohio's fortunes turn, as the Bobcats shot 32 percent from the field while the Tigers improved to almost 56 percent. Clemson's reserves proved to be a key, as the Tigers received 38 points from their bench players as opposed to two from the Ohio bench.
In the final seven minutes, Clemson went on a 7-0 run to pull within three, then tied the game with a minute and a half to play with a fastbreak lay up by Hardy. The Tigers took the lead with just over a minute remaining and would not relinquish it.
The 'Cats out-rebounded Clemson 33-25, thanks in part to Bushby's career high, which is right on their average rebounding margin of 7.5 more than their opponents per game.
Clemson was led by junior guard Lele Hardy, who had a game-high 18 points, one point below her season average. Hardy also added 10 boards for a double-double, and freshman guard Sthefany Thomas chipped in 13 points for the Lady Tigers.
This was the seventh of an eight-game road trip to begin the season for Ohio. The Bobcats face Marshall on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. ET in their final game before returning to The Convo. Live stats from Huntington, W.Va. will be available on OhioBobcats.com.
