CLEMSON, S.C. – Returning home after a successful two-game road trip, the Clemson Tigers (13-5, 4-1) extended their win streak to four games with a 71-61 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (12-6, 2-3) at Littlejohn Coliseum on Thursday. Clemson’s four straight ACC wins marks the longest ACC win streak for the Tigers since 2004.
Photos by Kim Montuoro
Clemson excelled down low, outscoring Georgia Tech 38-12 in the paint and winning the rebound battle by a margin of 36-32. With 25 points off turnovers, the Tigers turned the tide of the contest in the second quarter by way of defensive pressure and a slew of layups.
With a season-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, Collier proved to be the difference maker off the bench for the Tigers. Along with Collier, junior Kobi Thornton tallied 10 points of her own and brought down 10 rebounds to surpass 500 rebounds in her career. The junior post player now has 15 double-doubles in her tenure with the Tigers. Veteran guards Danielle Edwards and Westbrook also scored in double figures for Clemson with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Box Score (PDF)
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8:10 Q3 || 5-0 run to start the second half!Clemson leads, 39-23 pic.twitter.com/l7PDzxC1JQ— Clemson Women's Basketball (@ClemsonWBB) January 18, 2019
8:10 Q3 || 5-0 run to start the second half!
Clemson leads, 39-23 pic.twitter.com/l7PDzxC1JQ
— Clemson Women's Basketball (@ClemsonWBB) January 18, 2019
Contested shot? NO PROBLEM.Thornton up to 15 points 💪62-51 Clemson, 4:30 Q4 pic.twitter.com/6rhD3l55bn— Clemson Women's Basketball (@ClemsonWBB) January 18, 2019
Contested shot? NO PROBLEM.
Thornton up to 15 points 💪
62-51 Clemson, 4:30 Q4 pic.twitter.com/6rhD3l55bn
“Our team was afraid not to win the rebounding battle," said head coach Amanda Butler. "Georgia Tech is really powerful on the boards and we showed a lot of toughness and made it ugly, but we like it that way.”
After trailing by five at the end of the first quarter, Clemson swung the momentum in its favor, outscoring Georgia Tech 25-9 in the second quarter. Going on a 15-3 run over the final 3:39 of the second quarter, the Tigers built up a 34-23 advantage heading into halftime.
Clemson led by as many as 20 early in the third quarter after converting three Yellow Jacket turnovers into a 6-0 run. Georgia Tech proceeded to go on an 11-0 run of its own soon afterward, but Clemson kept the visitors at bay for the remainder of the contest en route to a 10-point triumph.
Clemson aims to carry its momentum into Pittsburgh when the take on the Panthers (9-9, 0-4) on Sunday, Jan. 20. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. and the game will air on ACC Network Extra.
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