Greensboro, N.C. – Led by a career-high 19 points from senior Hannah Hank, Clemson downed Pitt, 71-53, in the first round of the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. The win moves the Tigers into the second round on Thursday.
Hank finished with a career-high 19 points with eight made field goals, surpassing her previous career high of 17, set last year in the ACC Tournament. Daisha Bradford and Amari Robinson also finished in double figures for the Tigers with 15 and 10, respectively. Robinson pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, while Hank also added seven and Bradford added six assists.
As a team, Clemson finished with 22 assists on 26 made baskets with just 11 turnovers. The Tigers also hit 11 three-pointers, most in a postseason game in Clemson history.
The teams traded runs in the first quarter, as Pitt finished with back-to-back baskets to take a 16-14 lead after the game’s first 10. Clemson opened the second quarter on an 11-0 run, sparked by four points each from Robinson and Hank, to take a 25-16 lead over the Panthers and prompt Pitt’s first timeout of the day. Pitt didn’t score until the 3:24 mark before halftime, using two free throws to cut Clemson’s lead to 28-18. Clemson held Pitt to just four points in the second quarter to take a 33-20 lead into the locker room.
Clemson opened its largest lead of the game at 46-27 in the third quarter, before Pitt cut the lead to 14 at 50-36 to start the game’s final 10. Pitt used a 6-0 run to cut into the Clemson lead, but Hank ended it with her seventh basket of the day. The Tigers kept their foot on the gas, getting a three-pointer from Ale’Jah Douglas with 40 seconds to go to close it out.
Clemson is back in action on Thursday, taking on the 7-seed North Carolina at 6:00 p.m.
