By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – If they could have been as productive in the first three quarters as they were in the final period, Tennessee Tech’s Golden Eagles might have put a notch in the win column Sunday against Clemson.
Instead, Clemson (3-7) shot 50 percent for three quarters while steadily building a lead, and got double figure scoring from three players on the way to a well-executed, 71-53 non-conference victory over Tech (3-6) Sunday afternoon in a matinee contest in Eblen Center.
Danielle Edwards finished with 17 points, six assists, two blocked shots and four steals to pace Clemson. Alexis Carter added 15 points and six rebounds, and Nelly Perry had 12 points for the Tigers.
Tennessee Tech also had three players dent the second column in scoring, led by senior Samaria Howard ‘s game-high 18 points, going 12-for-15 at the free throw line. She also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Hannah Goolsby added 12 points and Lindsey Jennings went 4-for-4 from the floor to score 11 points.
It started early for the Tigers, who built a 19-8 leads after the first quarter. Tech missed its first six shots and fell behind 12-1 in the first six minutes, a deficit they could not undo.
Another 10-point margin in the second period, this time a spread of 23-13, sent the Tigers into the halftime break with a 42-21 lead.
Tech played it closer in the third period, being outscored 19-12, as Clemson pushed its lead to 61-33 heading into the final period.
The Golden Eagles finally found the range in the fourth quarter, outscoring Clemson 20-10 to cut the final margin to 18 after trailing by as many as 30 with 9:25 to play in the contest.
Clemson held a 42-16 advantage in the paint and a 12-2 edge fast-break points. A large portion of the Tigers’ success came from effective ball control, committing just nine turnovers compared with 20 by the Golden Eagles. Clemson had an 11-1 margin in steals.
Tech shot 30.2 percent (13-for-43) from the field, going 3-for-9 from long range for 33 percent. The Golden Eagles shot 24-for-35 at the free throw line (68.6 percent).
Clemson finished the contest hitting 44.8 percent (26-for-58) from the floor, including 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) from outside the arc. The Tigers hit 16-for-26 (61.5 percent) at the charity line.
Tech owned a 37-32 advantage in rebounds.
Tech hosts its second consecutive visitor from the tough Atlantic Coast Conference on Friday, opening one of the best doubleheaders of the non-conference season in Eblen Center. The Tech women welcome Louisville for a 5:30 p.m. contest, with the Golden Eagle men set to host Miami (Ohio) from the Mid-American Conference in the nightcap at 6:30 p.m.
For tickets, visit the Athletics Ticket Office in Eblen Center, or call (931) 372-3940. Tickets may also be purchases online at TTUsports.com.
photo of Samaria Howard by Jim Dillon
