March 6, 2009

GAME ONE: CLEMSON 81, GEORGIA TECH 69

Upset History: The No. 12 seed Clemson downed 5-seed Georgia Tech, 81-69, marking the first time in ACC Tournament history that a 12-seed has advanced past the opening round. Georgia Tech downed Clemson in both previous match-ups this season, winning 49-41 on Feb. 1 in Atlanta and 89-54 on Feb. 22 in Clemson. The win was just Clemson's third ACC victory on the season.

Hot Start: The 5-seed Georgia Tech jumped out to an early lead over the Tigers, beginning the game on an 8-0 run. Alex Montgomery had four points for the Yellows Jackets in the quick start.

Pauldo's Performance: In her first start this season, Shaniqua Pauldo had the best game of her young career, setting or matching career highs in minutes, points and rebounds. She finished the game with a new career high of 23 points to go along with seven rebounds, which equaled her career best. Pauldo's previous career high of 15 points came earlier this season against North Carolina on January 8.

Steals Leader: Grabbing two steals, Jacqua Williams continued her leadership in the Georgia Tech record book. Already the all-time school steals leader, Williams now has 368 career thefts, 90 ahead of the second-best total. She now has at least one steal in 69 consecutive contests.

Success Beyond the Arc: The 3-pointer by Georgia Tech's Alex Montgomery at 15:44, moved her past Selena Baldwin for 6th place all-time in Yellow Jacket career 3-pointers. Her 3 treys put her at 104 for her career.

Clemson in the Coliseum: Trailing 17-6 with 13:11 to go in the first half, Clemson went on a 23-11 run to grab the lead, 29-28 with 5:09 remaining in the first half. Both teams competed down the stretch run of the first-half, sending the teams to the locker rooms with the score knotted at 37.

At the Half: With 37 points in the first half, Clemson has exceeded its combined first-half points (31) in the season's previous match-ups against Georgia Tech (16 points on 2/1, 15 points on 2/22).

Tenacious D: Clemson's strong defense held a quality Georgia Tech team to shooting .328 from the field. The Tiger defense managed to force 19 turnovers, grabbing 13 steals and blocking 4 shots.

Big Dish: Tasha Taylor took the basketball down court with a 2-on-1 match-up. A quick pass to Shaniqua Pauldo allowed for a tough bucket and a foul shot. After the made free throw, the Tigers held a 13 point lead with 5:07 remaining in the game.

Second Half Surge: The Tigers victory was spurred by a huge second half performance by the entire team. Clemson had five players score in double figures. The last time such a feat was accomplished was in last season's ACC tournament opening round as Clemson upset 8-seed N.C. State. Clemson outscored the Yellow Jackets 44-32 in the second half.

Battle on the Boards: Clemson dominated the glass as they out-rebounded Georgia Tech, 50-38. Six different Lady Tigers had five or more rebounds in the game (Hardy, Parker, Pauldo, Taylor, Thomas, Tate).

Superb Steals: Lele Hardy's seven steals tied an ACC opening round individual record. In the Clemson record book, Hardy previous held the No. 2 spot for steals in a season with 98. Now with 101 steals on the season, Hardy holds two of the top three spots for steals in Clemson history. The performance by Hardy ties her for seventh all-time in ACC steals per game, with 3.1

Streak Snapped: With Clemson's win, Georgia Tech's streak of seven consecutive victories over the Tigers came to an end. The all-time series between the schools is in Clemson's advantage, 42-19.

Charity Stripe Near-Perfection: The Tigers had their best performance from the free throw line this season, going 18-for-19 (94.7%).