Miami Downs Clemson 74-52 Behind Second Half Effort
Jan. 12, 2006
CLEMSON, S.C. – In a game that would be the tale of two halves for the Hurricanes, senior forward Tamara James scored 18 second-half points with senior guard Melissa Knight’s 23 points to lead Miami to a 74-52 road victory over ACC rival Clemson Thursday night at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Miami (12-3, 2-1 ACC) bettered its first half shooting percentage by nearly 25 percent in the second half to outscore the Tigers (7-10, 1-2 ACC) 48-25 in the second period.
Knight led all scores with 23 points, hitting 5-of-6 three-point attempt which stands as the second-highest single-game three point field goal percentage (.833) in UM history.
James nearly notched her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 22 points and nine rebounds. The National Player of the Year candidate also added five steals in the Hurricane win.
With Miami down 41-38 in the first five minutes of the second half, sophomore guard Albrey Grimsley scored off a James assist to spark a 17-0 run that put UM up 14 points at 55-41 with 8:23 remaining.
Miami outscored the Tigers 19-11 from that point on to claim their second road conference win of the season.
As a team, the Hurricanes hit 11-of-12 free throw attempts in the second half led by Knight (4-4), James (6-6) and junior guard Renee Taylor (2-2) who all finished the night perfect from the line. Taylor recorded nine assists, five steals, eight points and six rebounds.
Clemson led 27-26 at the break following a three-pointer by Maxienne White in the final 10 seconds of the half. The Hurricanes stayed within one point of the Clemson lead despite hitting just 8-of-28 shots which included misses on their first seven attempts from the floor.
Clemson’s White led the Tigers with 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Hurricanes head to Duluth, Ga. Sunday to face No. 17 Georgia at 3 p.m. as part of the ACC/SEC Russell Athletic Shootout. Miami’s match-up with the Lady Bulldogs will be televised live on Fox Sports Florida (FSFL) and Fox Sports South (FSNS) as part of the ACC Regional Sports Network (RSN).
