Nov. 19, 2004

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Four Lady Catamounts reached double-figures, including career-highs for junior Teyawna Hardy and freshman Jessika Johnson, but it was not enough as the Clemson Lady Tigers connected on four free-throw opportunities down the stretch to secure the 62-55 win in the season-opener for both teams.

Western Carolina (0-1) reamains winless in six attempts versus the ACC foe. However, the gap between the two appears to be narrowing. In the first-four meetings, the Lady Tigers bested the Catamounts by an average of 43.5 points. Yet, in the past two meetings, including the 80-71 Clemson win in Cullowhee a year ago, the average margin of victory is now shortened to a mere eight points.

"I'm real proud of the effort we gave tonight. Our kids played very hard and gave themselves a chance to win the game," said first-year head coach Kellie Harper. "We kept fighting to keep it close. Ever time Clemson made a run, we'd find a way to fight and claw our way back into it."

The Lady Catamounts were led by senior forward Lori Tanner, who scored 11 points and pulled down six boards in the losing effort. She was joined by Hardy and Johnson, who each tallied career-highs of 10 points a piece, with Johnson just missing a double-double with a career-high nine rebounds. Senior Jennifer Gardner equaled her teammates scoring performance, pouring in 10 points and five boards in only 12 minutes of action as she was saddled with foul trouble the majority of the game.

Western trailed by as many as 14 in the first half at 33-19 before cutting into the deficit just before the break. The Lady Catamounts put together a 9-0 run to end the first half, slashing the lead to five at the intermission, 33-28.

Within the first five minutes of the second stanza the Lady Cats pulled to within one at 36-35 on a Johnson jumper at the 14:26 mark. Clemson inched back in front by seven before Western equaled its smallest deficit of one again at the midway mark of the half. The Lady Tigers, who led throughout with the exception of a pair of first half ties, managed a four-to-five point margin until the final four minutes when Western closed the gap to two on a pair of Gardner free-throws.

Yet, the Tigers managed the clock and the charity stripe, nailing six free throws in the final minute and a half to secure the season-opening victory.

"I'm glad to get out of this game on the winning side," said Jim Davis, head coach of the Lady Tigers. "I give a lot of credit to Coach Harper, her staff, and her team. Their players put their heart and soul into it, but I thought our players played hard."

Western Carolina returns home on Monday, November 22 to host the Lady Colonels of Eastern Kentucky in the 2004-05 home opener. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 pm at the Ramsey Center. The game will be broadcast live on the Catamount Sports Network locally in Cullowhee on Power 90dot5, with Steven Crumpler and Brandon Stephens on the call. The game can also be heard online at www.wwcufm.com.