Cluse Tallies Season High in Scoring, Tigers Fall to No. 10 Blue Devils 74-55

FINAL SCORE: Duke 74, Clemson 55

RECORDS: Clemson (11-12, 4-8), Duke (18-5, 9-2)

CLEMSON LEADERS: Maddi Cluse (19 points, 5-7 FG, 4-5 3FG), Mia Moore (9 rebounds), Loyal McQueen (7 assists)

NOTABLES:

• Maddi Cluse set a new season high and led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points, the most points she has scored in 35 appearances as a Tiger (Previous was 14 against Winthrop in last season’s opening game). 
• The Tigers outshot Duke from beyond-the-arc 53.8%-30.4%

DURHAM, N.C. – The Clemson women’s basketball team (11-12, 4-8) fell to the No. 10 Duke Blue Devils (18-5, 9-2), 74-55, on Thursday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Senior Maddi Cluse led the Tigers in scoring, notching a season-high 19 points and adding four rebounds. This is the most points she has ever scored as a Tiger. She had three and-one buckets, shooting 6-8 from the field, and knocking down three triples for the Tigers, tying her season-high in threes made in a game.  

Clemson trailed by just five points with eight minutes to play in the third quarter, but an 11-0 Duke run helped the Blue Devils pull away. North Carolina transfer Anya Poole added 11 points, her sixth game this season in double-figures. Duke’s ACC opponents entered the game shooting .372, but the Tigers shot 19-of-38 (.500). 

Clemson struck first, with a triple by Cluse 40 seconds into the game to give Clemson their initial advantage over the Blue Devils. Duke, a team that averages 76.1 points per outing, was held to just 12 points in the first quarter by the Tiger defense. Clemson outscored Duke 19-18 in the second quarter, shooting 61.5% from the field and 75% from three. 

Junior Mia Moore logged a team-high nine rebounds, just two away from her season high of eleven. The Tigers outrebounded the Blue Devils 30-28, but their defensive effort was not quite enough to outlast the No. 10 Blue Devils. 

UP NEXT: The Tigers round out their meetings with teams from the Triangle area in a meeting against the No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday, February 9 at 2 p.m in Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson will host its annual National Girls and Women in Sports Celebration featuring activities for the whole family and appearances from many of Clemson’s varsity athletes – gates open at 1 p.m.

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