GREENSBORO, N.C. — In a nail-biter to the very end, the Clemson Tigers (19-11) survived and advanced in the ACC Tournament on Thursday with an 80-79 overtime win over Virginia Tech (20-11). Senior Aliyah Collier played with veteran poise down the stretch, pouring in a career-high 28 points on the night.
The Tigers shot 46 percent from the floor, including a solid 8-of-19 shooting mark from beyond the 3-point arc. Sophomore guard Destiny Thomas also put forth a milestone outing with 12 points and a career-high three treys. Floor general Danielle Edwards tabbed 13 points and eight assists, while shooting guard Simone Westbrook registered 10 points, seven rebounds and four steals for a well-rounded evening. Five different Tigers tallied double-figure outings.
Clemson forward Kobi Thornton eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career with 15 points on the night, joining Edwards as the second Tiger to accomplish that feat this season.
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Thornton muscles her way to the basket and it's a TIE GAME!71-all, 10.7 to go pic.twitter.com/xxzbS1tEfx— Clemson Women's Basketball (@ClemsonWBB) March 8, 2019
Thornton muscles her way to the basket and it's a TIE GAME!
71-all, 10.7 to go pic.twitter.com/xxzbS1tEfx
— Clemson Women's Basketball (@ClemsonWBB) March 8, 2019
💦💦💦Collier drains the three to tie the game!74-all, 3:08 OT pic.twitter.com/azaLDrYLhY— Clemson Women's Basketball (@ClemsonWBB) March 8, 2019
💦💦💦
Collier drains the three to tie the game!
74-all, 3:08 OT pic.twitter.com/azaLDrYLhY
“That was a tremendous win and Virginia Tech challenged us in really specific ways, especially in the first half,” said head coach Amanda Butler. “The seniors showed a tremendous resilient spirit and I am so happy for them.”
The Tigers kicked off the game with an 8-2 run, but Virginia Tech clawed back into the game and boasted a 35-33 advantage at the start of the second half. Thomas led the Clemson charge coming out of halftime, producing a 9-2 run with back-to-back threes and a converted 3-point play.
Manned by guard Taylor Emery, who led all player with 35 points, Virginia Tech fought back and erased its deficit. A back-and-forth final four minutes culminated in Thornton sinking a clutch jumper to knot the game up at 71-71 and force overtime. From there, Collier took over, scoring all nine of Clemson’s points in the extra period, including a pair of 3-pointers that highlighted an 8-0 run for the Tigers.
Photos by Emily Algary
After escaping with an 80-79 victory to improve to 2-0 in overtime games this year, seventh-seeded Clemson will turn its attention to a matchup with No. 3 Louisville Cardinals (27-2) in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex and will air on RSN.
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