Following a pair of victories over ranked opponents, the Clemson Tigers were tabbed the NCAA Women’s Basketball Team of the Week. The Tigers defeated #rv/23 Miami and #22/18 Florida State on the road for the first back-to-back road wins over ranked opponents in program history.
Clemson started the week with a hard-fought come-from-behind victory in Coral Gables, downing Miami 76-67 for the Tigers’ second ACC victory of the season. Guard Simone Westbrook led all scorers in the game with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting, while junior Kobi Thornton added a 20-point game of her own to go along with nine boards.
The Tigers held a 34-28 lead heading into halftime, but Miami would not be deterred, manufacturing a 9-0 run out the gate to take its first lead of the second half. The teams traded baskets throughout the rest of the contest but Clemson used a trio of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to pull away from the Hurricanes and leave the Sunshine State victorious.
“That was a total team effort. We are an energy team and always try to start the game connected and stay connected. We got big minutes from everybody who stepped in and played.”
Carrying momentum into Sunday’s matchup at Florida State, the Tigers set the tone early, limiting the Seminoles to just 26 points in the first half of the game. Clemson’s defensive pressure forced Florida State into 23 turnovers and held the Seminoles to just 26.6 percent shooting from the field, a season-low for the home team.
Thornton had another great game for the Tigers, pouring in 12 points in the first half alone to give Clemson a 31-26 lead at halftime. The Seminoles mounted a comeback to pull to within one in the fourth quarter but the Clemson defense held strong and, thanks to several key baskets by Thornton and senior Aliyah Collier, the Tigers came away with the 12-point victory.
“That was a huge win over a really good team,” said head coach Amanda Butler. “We have a lot of respect for Florida State and it's remarkable to do that on their home floor. We knew it was going to be a battle, and it was ugly.”
Clemson is back in action on Thursday when they take on Georgia Tech in Littlejohn Coliseum in what is sure to be a scrappy battle between two defensive-minded teams. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will air on ACC Network Extra.
