HOUSTON, Texas – Behind a balanced offensive effort and some stellar outside shooting, the Clemson Tiger women’s basketball team closed out the Van Chancellor Classic in style by running away from the Arkansas – Pine Bluff Lions with a 92-66 blowout.
Clemson didn’t wait to get the party started in the Merrell Center on Sunday. In UAPB’s first possession, Dayshanette Harris poked the ball away and threw it behind the defense where Ruby Whitehorn laid the ball in to tip off the offensive fireworks for the Tigers. The Lions hit from outside on two separate possessions to give them a 6-4 edge, but two consecutive three-point shots from Maddi Cluse and a third shot from beyond-the-arc from Amari Robinson served as the catalyst for an 11-0 run to give the Tigers a lead that they would never relinquish. Clemson led 26-16 at the end of the first quarter.
Cluse and Mackenzie Kramer tacked on a couple more three-point daggers for Clemson, but the biggest highlight of Clemson’s 21-point second quarter came in the waning moments of the quarter. With just seconds remaining, Harris went on the attack and floated a high-arcing shot off the dribble that trickled through the twine and was fouled in the act. The point guard converted on her free throw with just 0.4 seconds left, and the Tigers took a 47-33 lead into the locker rooms.
Amanda Butler’s squad put on a clinic in the third frame. Seven Tigers scored in the third, led by Kramer who added a couple more three pointers to her name, and Clemson only allowed 13 points while scoring 25, and with a 72-46 edge going to the fourth, the game was never in doubt.
The Tigers put up an additional 20 points in the fourth quarter. CU’s barrage from outside rounded out with a Bella Ranallo three pointer with just 41 seconds left to give Clemson 92 points on the day. Clemson (5-3) closed out its Texas tournament in style and reigned victorious by a score of 92-66.
NOTABLES
-Robinson, who averaged 21 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest in the three-game tournament, was named to the Van Chancellor Classic All-Tournament Team.
-The 92 points scored by the Tigers ties the most points that Clemson has scored against a Division One opponent in the Amanda Butler era (Presbyterian, 92-47 on November 27, 2020).
-Clemson hit 12 three pointers and shot 52% from the three-point line. This was Clemson’s best shooting contest with at least 15 attempts since 2013 when the Tigers made 12 threes on 22 attempts against South Carolina State.
-MaKayla Elmore, who previously set a career high in rebounds with nine in Clemson’s game against Tulsa on Saturday, set another career record after snagging 11 rebounds in Sunday’s win.
UP NEXT
The Tigers travel to Auburn to play in the ACC-SEC challenge. That game will take place on Thursday, November 30 at 9:00 p.m.
