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First challenge Second-seeded Clemson fights off No. 7 seed Illinois 63-51
Posted: Monday March 15, 1999 01:01 AM
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- Clemson coach Jim Davis had been planning for this moment for the past eight years. The Lady Tigers have been one of the most consistent and successful teams in the country during the past decade. But since 1991, the winning abruptly stopped at the NCAA tournament's second round. Five times in its past six NCAA appearances, Clemson has bowed out before things got serious. So Davis didn't hold back his feelings after the 10th-ranked Lady Tigers (26-5) broke through to the round of 16 with a 63-51 victory over Illinois (19-12) in the Mideast Regional on Sunday night. "It definitely feels sweeter this time," said Davis, who last advanced this far eight years ago. "But it feels sweeter because of this team and who they are." Clemson's four seniors -- Natasha Anderson, Amy Geren, Nikki Blassingame and Itoro Umoh -- have done about everything to lift the Lady Tigers into the national spotlight. Now, Davis thinks they can go farther. "This was a goal that we had, but it's not the only goal that we had," said Davis. "I think there's more to be heard from Clemson. We're not going to roll over and play dead just because we're going to Cincinnati." Anderson scored 18 points and Clemson held off a late Illini rally to win its ninth straight game and set a school record for wins in a season. But it was no where near as easy as the Lady Tigers' 31-point victory over Florida A&M in the opening round. They held a 45-32 lead in this one with 12:13 to go, but llinois charged back in the final 10 minutes, cutting it to 54-51 on Alicia Sheeler's layup with 3:08 remaining. This time, Nikki Blassingame made an inside basket for Clemson, Itoro Umoh knocked in two free throws and the Illini - who were 18-of-60 from the field - missed their next five shots. Blassingame finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Clemson will face Southern Methodist or Georgia in the semifinals Saturday in Cincinnati. Those teams meet at Georgia on Monday night. "We reached our goals and that was pretty cool," said Umoh, one of four seniors who start for Clemson. Susan Blauser had 15 points and 10 rebounds to lead Illinois, which was held to its lowest point total this season. The Lady Tigers had cruised over first-round opponent Florida A&M 76-45 on Friday and looked ready to do the same to Illinois after Anderson and Amy Geren stuck in back-to-back jumpers midway through the second half. But Clemson, the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champions, suddenly went off its game with rushed shots, sloppy passes and forgetful defense. "I thought in the first half we kind of had our way," Davis said. 'Second half, [Illinois] matched up with us and put a little heat on us. We didn't do a good job of countering." "It was frustrating," Umoh said. "[But] I didn't have time to be nervous." Umoh had 10 points, five in the final five minutes. Her free throws with 1:02 left gave Clemson a 59-51 lead and sealed the game. Illinois freshman Allison Curtin scored give points in 19-9 run that changed a blowout into a tight game. The Illini had come in averaging 81 points a game, but committed 20 turnovers and went 0-for-9 from 3-point range. "I didn't feel like we got enough looks tonight," Curtin said. "I had a few looks but hurried them." Illinois coach Theresa Grentz, whose streak of two straight Sweet 16 appearances ended, said her team fought back in it but struggled on offense throughout.
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