CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson came out on the losing end of a matchup with North Carolina on Thursday. The Tar Heels pulled off a road win by defeating the Tigers 77-64 at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers (10-10, 5-10) made 44.8 percent of their shot attempts, while the Tar Heels (11-8, 6-8) recorded a field goal percentage of 45.6. UNC edged Clemson 37-35 in the rebounding battle and made five 3-pointers. Clemson sank six three-balls, dished out 15 assists and compiled 36 points in the paints and 25 points off the bench.
Delicia Washington led Clemson in scoring with 15 points. She also tallied six assists, four rebounds and two steals. Mikayla Hayes, who shot 5-for-7 from the floor, and Kendall Spray scored 11 points apiece. In addition, Spray pulled down six boards and was credited with a pair of steals. Amari Robinson corralled a team-best seven rebounds. For North Carolina, Stephanie Watts scored a game-high 26 points.
A competitive first quarter ended with the Tar Heels clinging to a 17-16 lead. After receiving a feed from Hannah Hank, Spray poured in a go-ahead 3-pointer at the 5:38 mark, placing Clemson up 11-10. Hayes beat the buzzer via a three of her own at the end of the quarter, with Washington assisting on the basket. UNC outscored Clemson 19-8 in the second quarter and took a 36-24 advantage into the intermission.
With just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, Weronika Hipp ended a North Carolina run by way of a trey. She proceeded to knock down another shot from beyond the arc a few possessions later. The Tar Heels maintained their comfortable lead throughout the period, and the Tigers entered the fourth quarter trailing 62-41. Clemson put up a fight in the final period, though, outscoring North Carolina 23-15. In the end, the Tar Heels won 77-64.
The Tigers will remain home for their next bout on Thursday, Feb. 25. Clemson is set to host the Virginia Tech Hokies (11-7, 6-7) at Littlejohn. The contest, which is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m., can be watched on ACC Network.
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Head Coach Amanda Butler
Opening statement:“This was a really disappointing defensive effort coupled with too many turnovers. We didn’t take care of the basketball. North Carolina has a very good transition offense, and we didn’t do a good job on transition defense. It was a combination of a lot of things that didn’t go our way. You have to give North Carolina credit for dictating the game.”
On Delicia Washington:“She’s done a really good job of playing consistently well throughout the conference schedule. We need her to be a better defender early in the game, though, and I know that she will be.”
