Rice University
Clemson
Women's Hoops Falls to Clemson at Coors Classic
11/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2007
Rice vs. Clemson Box Score (PDF) 
BOULDER, Colo. - Valeriya Berezhynska scored 16 of her 21 points in the second half as the Rice women's basketball team attempted to overcome a 12-point deficit in the final eight minutes, but fell short 62-59 against Clemson Friday evening in the opening round of the Coors Classic at the Coors Events Center on the Colorado campus.
Rice (5-2) plays Colorado in the consolation game Saturday at 5pm. The Buffaloes lost 83-74 to Siena.
Berezhynska shot 13-of-15 from the foul line and pulled down 15 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Kadie Riverin matched her season-high with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, while Melissa Wittmayer notched career-highs with seven points and seven rebounds.
"We started off slow and it's tough to win ball games when you have to overcome a double-digit hole in the second half," assistant coach Carlos Quintero said. "I was proud of how our team fought back, but we couldn't make the plays down the stretch necessary to win."
After a pair of free throws from Morganne Campbell put Clemson ahead 55-43 with 8:04 remaining, the Owls went on a 7-0 spurt led by four Berezhynska free throws and Wittmayer three-pointer to pull within 55-50 at the 5:21 mark.
The Tigers (3-3) last field goal came with 3:27 left on a D'Lesha Lloyd driving layup to push the advantage back to 59-52. Lloyd paced Clemson with 18 points and 16 rebounds, while April Parker added 16 points.
Brittney Hudson made a five-foot jumper on the right baseline off of a missed three-pointer by Riverin to make it 59-56 with 35 seconds on the clock.
Rice got a critical defense stop on a Lloyd missed jumper, but Parker grabbed the offensive rebound. She knocked down 1-of-2 free throws, making it a two-possession game with 10 seconds to go.
"Our game plan on defense was to force Clemson to shoot a lot of outside shots," Quintero said. "We allowed them to get into the lane and gave up too many offensive rebounds that led to extra possessions on their end."
Riverin drove the length of the court and got a Maudess Fulton three-pointer on the left baseline to draw the Owls within 60-59 with 4.8 seconds left.
After Parker hit two free throws, Riverin tried to find Fulton on the right wing, but time expired allowing Clemson to hold on for a 62-59 win.
Rice takes on Colorado in the Coors Classic consolation game. Tip-off is slated for 6pm CT. KTRU 91.7 FM and RiceOwls.com will have all of the action live from Boulder.
