Clemson Falls at Syracuse In Close Battle, 68-64

Syracuse, N.Y. – Mia Moore and Taylor Johnson-Matthews each scored 17 points in a game that went down to the wire as Clemson women’s basketball (18-9, 9-6 ACC) fell to Syracuse (21-5, 11-4 ACC), 68-64, at the JMA Wireless Dome on Sunday afternoon.

A pair of senior guards led the way for the Tigers offensively. Moore tied for the team-high in points (17) and also led the Tigers with seven assists and five rebounds. Johnson-Matthews came off the bench to score 17 points of her own. Junior guard Hannah Kohn added nine points, all from beyond the arc, on 3-5 shooting. Freshman forward Holland Harris came off the bench to score seven points, grab three boards, and record the Tigers’ only block of the game in her career-high 17 minutes. Johnson-Matthews and Harris led the Clemson bench to outscore Syracuse’s bench 39-9.

The Orange were led by a double-double from Sophie Burrows, who registered 19 points and 16 rebounds, eight of which came on the offensive glass.

HOW THE GAME WAS DECIDED

Syracuse got out to an early lead, but the Tigers wouldn’t go away. The Orange amassed an 11-point advantage midway through the second quarter, but Clemson fought back to head into the locker room only down six. The second half was back and forth, with Clemson outscoring Syracuse by one in each of the final two quarters. Syracuse outrebounded Clemson 46-27, with 18 of their 46 coming on the offensive glass, leading to 11 second-chance points. The Tigers had a chance to tie the game with 13 seconds left, but a miss in the paint and a Syracuse rebound, followed by a Clemson foul and two free throws, sealed the game for the Orange.

HEAD COACH SHAWN POPPIE SAID

HIGHLIGHTS

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• Clemson falls to 1-1 when donning their pink jerseys this season.
• Syracuse now leads the all-time series against Clemson 14-2. 
• Moore (17 points) recorded her 19th game in double figures and recorded her highest assist total since Jan. 4 against Miami.
• Johnson-Matthews (17 points) scored double-digit points for the 12th time this season. 
• Kohn (9 points) shot 3-5 (60%) from beyond the arc, which marked her seventh time this season with at least three made threes. 

UP NEXT

Clemson heads back home to Littlejohn Coliseum for a battle with Duke on Sunday, Feb. 22. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on either ESPN or ESPN2.

TICKETS

Fans can purchase women’s basketball tickets by calling 1-800-CLEMSON or at ClemsonTigers.com/Tickets/.

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