Women's Hoops Upsets No. 15 Clemson
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January 31, 1999
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – DeMya Walker scored 14 points, and No. 15Clemson put on an almost-surreal show of ineptitude Sunday as 19th-rankedVirginia rolled to a 75-55 victory and a sweep of the season series.
Clemson (17-4, 7-4 Atlantic Coast) scored just eight points in the final 13minutes of the first half, then really faltered. The Tigers were 1-for-8 fromthe field with 10 turnovers in the first 10 minutes after the break, gettingonly a putback and two free throws to fall behind 55-31.
Virginia (15-5, 8-2), which won 67-66 in Clemson, S.C., on Jan. 2 when ItoroUmoh missed two free throws with 7.3 seconds left and a layup at the buzzer,hit 6-of-7 shots to open the second half and poured it on.
Monick Foote added 14 points and Lesley Brown 12 for Virginia.
The victory allowed the Cavaliers to solidify their hold on second place inthe ACC, and came with unbeaten Duke due to arrive Thursday.
The Cavaliers took control early, using a 24-8 run over the last 13:10 ofthe first half to take a 38-27 halftime lead. Walker had eight points and ErinStovall five in the run, while Clemson was 3-for-15 from the field.
The Tigers actually made their first eight shots in jumping to a 19-14 lead,then went stone cold, making 11 of their last 37 shots (29.7 percent).
Virginia also outrebounded the Tigers 21-11 in the half, getting 11offensive rebounds, and had 13 second-chance points to Clemson’s one.
The Cavaliers finished with a 42-21 rebounding edge.
Tigers coach Jim Davis could be heard screaming in the lockerroom athalftime, and it only seemed to make matters worse for his team, which had twomissed shots and four turnovers on its first six second-half possessions.
After Joanie Mungro scored on a putback of Andrea Gaines’ second missed freethrow, the Tigers turned it over six more times and missed five more shotsbefore Nikki Blassingame made two free throws with 10:29 left.
By then, Virginia’s run was up to 41-10 spanning the halves.
Amirah Leonard led Clemson with 9 points.
By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer