Dec. 19, 2009
Final Stats | Quotes
ATHENS, Ohio - The weather outside was cold and snowy, but Ohio turned up the heat inside the Convo and gave the ACC's Clemson all it could handle before coming up just short 89-81 in overtime. Carolyn Barnett scored a career-best 18 points and Jenny Poff notched 22 to lead four Bobcats in double figures.
Ohio's 81 points marked a season high and the `Cats' highest point total since Jan. 7 of last season. Ohio also shot a smoultering 58 percent from the field in the second half and forced Clemson into 21 turnovers. The `Cats got another strong outing from their bench with 22 points while also pulling down 45 rebounds and nabbing 13 steals. The charity line wasn't very charitable towards the Green and White as it finished at 52 percent from the stripe.
Poff's (St. John's, Mich.) 22 led Ohio, as the senior also pulled down six rebounds and dished out a season-best six assists while tying a season-high four steals. Barnett (North Chicago, Ill.) also tied a career-best seven rebounds to go with her career-best 18, including 4-of-5 shooting from downtown. Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) scored a season-high 14 points and grabbed five rebounds to go with a block.
Sophomore Da'Keisha Mann (Columbus, Ohio) was the `Cats' fourth player in double figures with 11. The Columbus native also picked up three steals. Thia Gholson (Louisville, Ky.) turned in another strong effort on the glass, pulling in 10 rebounds, her second-straight game collecting double-digit caroms.
Freshman Ashley Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) was clutch for Ohio down the stretch, as she hit a game-tying three with 12 seconds left and then drove coast to coast and converted a floating layup with a second left in regulation. She finished the day with seven points and four assists to go with three rebounds and three steals.
Both squads came out hot in the early going, but it was Clemson that was just a bit warmer as it hit five of its first seven shots en route to an 11-5 lead with 16:24 left in the first half. The `Cats came roaring back with a big 9-2 run behind five points from Poff and Barnett over the next four minutes of play to take a 15-13 advantage.
The action was tight over the next couple minutes of play with the Green and White holding a two-point edge with 10:29 left. The Tigers would not go away though and took advantage of an 8-4 run of their own to go ahead 25-21. Play went back and forth over the next few minutes with Clemson holding a 27-23 lead with 4:41 left in the half. The Tigers took advantage of some costly fouls inside to extend the lead to 30-23 with 3:49 left in the stanza. Action went back and forth over the last little bit of the half with Clemson holding a 38-30 lead going into the lockerroom.
Ohio finished the half shooting 35 percent from the field, while the Tigers completed the frame at a 44 percent clip and outrebounded the `Cats 27-17. Barnett led Ohio with nine first-half points on 3-of-6 shooting, while Mann chipped in seven and Poff added six.
The Green and White came out firing to start the second half and pulled within four at 40-36 with 18:45 left. A bucket from Mann inside cut the lead to three with 17:25 left. Ohio kept chipping away before a Poff triple tied the action at 43 with 15:16 left. Barnett then knocked down her second trifecta of the contest to give Ohio a 46-45 lead 28 seconds later. The Green and White kept its hot play going and took a 52-47 lead with 13:01 remaining after a Buckner bucket following a Poff steal. Barnett then hit a three to extend the `Cat lead to eight with 12:49 left.
Clemson would not go away and came fighting back with a 13-3 run to take a two-point lead on a three-point play from Lele Hardy with 8:37 left. Poff then tied the game with a pair of free throws 12 seconds later. Both squads exchanged punches over the next few minutes with Poff giving Ohio a 68-67 edge on a putback with 3:49 left.
Kirstyn Wright knocked down a three to put the Tigers up by two, and then Bryelle Smith hit a trey of her own with 2:38 left to put Clemson up by five. Poff then drove for a layin to cut the lead to three. The Tigers went back up by five with a pair of freebies, before Buckner converted inside to make it 75-72 with a minute remaining.
Following a Green and White defensive stop, Poff found Fowler in the right corner for a huge triple that knotted the action at 75 with 16.9 seconds left. Clemson converted inside with six seconds left, but Fowler drove coast to coast with her floating layin with 1.7 seconds left. The Tigers could not convert, and the game went to overtime.
Defense highlighted the first couple minutes of the extra frame, before Smith hit a three to give Clemson an 80-77 lead with 2:39 remaining. The Tigers went ahead 81-77 before a Buckner free throw cut the lead to 81-78. Barnett hit a turnaround trey with 12 seconds left, but Clemson knocked down four out of four from the charity line the rest of the way to sneak out with the win.
Smith and Wright each scored 16 points to lead the Tigers, while Hardy tallied a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Ohio will be have some time away for the Christmas break before heading to Gainesville, Fla., to take on Florida of the SEC Dec. 28. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m.
