Lady Tigers are still working kinks out

By Will Vandervort

CLEMSON — There were moments in Clemson’s game against NC State on Thursday night that showed why the Lady Tigers were able to take down a nationally ranked North Carolina team on the road last week, and there were moments that explained why they lost 62-46 at home to an unranked NC State team.

In the loss at Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson showed athletic ability, heart, character and toughness. But it also showed youth, inexperience and inconsistency — all signs that point to a team that has gotten better, but still has some work to do.

“We were so focused on how we won the UNC game that we did not focus on this game,” guard Nikki Dixon said. “We did not concentrate on beating the next team and I feel like we did not come together. When we needed stops, we did not get them. When we needed to make a play, we did not make one.”

Dixon is a prime example of how the Lady Tigers (5-11, 1-4 ACC) played. She scored 17 points, had five steals and was 6 of 8 from the foul line; overall, pretty good numbers. But Dixon was also credited with a game-high 11 turnovers, which helped NC State score 23 points off turnovers.

“We were just careless with the ball tonight and in particular Nikki did not have her best showing,” Clemson Head Coach Itoro Coleman said.

In all, Clemson turned the basketball over 26 times, which negated some of the good things it did. Guard Kelly Gramlich scored a game-high 18 points, 16 in the second half, and was 4 of 9 from behind the arc. The Lady Tigers forced 22 NC State turnovers, had 12 steals and scored 23 points off turnovers as well. On most nights those numbers lead to a victory.

“That was against a team that was averaging 75 points and we held them to 62, which is good,” Coleman said. “Our goal is 60 or below, but from the offensive end we weren’t as good. We need to take care of the ball. We need to get good possessions and cut down on our turnovers. All I ask for is good shots. If we make them, fine. If we don’t, at least we got a good shot off. Moving forward that is going to be our focus.”

Dixon and her teammates hear their head coach. They understand making unforced errors is not acceptable anymore and neither is the excuse that they are inconsistent because of their youth.

“We are basketball players. I don’t care if we are freshmen, sophomores or juniors, we all know the game,” she said. “Yes, we did have a lot of turnovers. And yes, that is a freshman mentality, but it will come with more experience. However, we can’t use that as an excuse anymore. We are past first semester, so now it is really all about playing ball.

“It is frustrating at times. It’s the little stuff we have to work on more. It comes from more practice than anything else. I feel like if we get the little things down, we will be just fine.”