Clemson Grabs Win Over Stanford to Advance to Second Round of ACC Tournament
- Luke O'Reilly
- Mar 5
- 3 min read
ACC Tournament First Round
The 14th-seeded Clemson Tigers took on the 11th-seeded Stanford Cardinal in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Clemson was able to beat Stanford, 63-46, to book a spot in the second round against Louisville on Thursday night.
Clemson played suffocating defense all night, allowing only 46 points on 31.5% shooting from the field and 27.3% from downtown. Loyal McQueen was the star for the Tigers in this one, as the senior from Florence, South Carolina, scored 17 points, along with eight rebounds and six assists.
Slow Start for Clemson, Strong Defense Keeps Tigers Ahead
The Stanford Cardinal got off to a hot start, scoring two of their first three shots to take an early 4-0 lead over Clemson. Through the first couple of minutes, the Tigers struggled to get going on offense, missing their first five shots and turning the ball over once with six minutes to go in the first period.
With 5:30 left in the first quarter, Loyal McQueen finally got Clemson on the board with a layup to cut the Stanford lead to four. Raven Thompson was able to tie the game up with two minutes left in the first quarter after her tough finish knotted the score at eight apiece.
At the end of the first quarter, Clemson held an 11-10 lead over Stanford, as Loyal McQueen's nine points led the way for the Tigers. Although they struggled on the offensive side of the ball, Clemson's defense was suffocating, holding the Cardinal to 23.1% shooting from the floor.
Clemson Extends Lead Before Halftime
Clemson continued to play well to start the second quarter, as Anya Poole hit two layups to put the Tigers up by five early in the period. At the media timeout, Clemson still had their five-point lead, as the Cardinal continued to struggle on the offensive side of the ball, committing three turnovers in as many minutes.
Out of the timeout, neither team could find their shooting stroke, as they both went into prolonged scoring droughts until Loyal McQueen’s free throws put the Tigers up by seven. Clemson continued to dominate Stanford, as Anya Poole’sshot gave the Tigers an 11-point lead with three minutes left in the first half.
The Cardinal finally found the bottom of the net after Courtney Ogden’s layup, which ended Stanford’s six-minute and 56-second scoring drought. At halftime, Clemson led Stanford 27-16, dominating the Cardinal in every facet of the game.
First-Half Stats:
Stanford scored only six points in the second quarter.
The Cardinal committed six turnovers while shooting 3/13 from the floor.
Neither team had made a three-pointer, combining for 0/9 from behind the arc.
Clemson Responds to Stanford’s Second-Half Push
The Stanford Cardinal got off to the start they needed in the third quarter, as Chloe Clardy hit the game's first three-pointer, cutting the Clemson lead to single digits. Clemson responded strongly to Stanford's hot start with a three-pointer of their own from Mia Moore, pushing the Tigers' lead back to 13.
Stanford continued to shoot the ball well in the second half, hitting their third deep ball of the period five minutes in. Clemson was able to match them shot for shot, as Raven Thompson’s three-pointer gave Shawn Poppie's team a 13-point lead heading into the media timeout.
Out of the timeout, Clemson’s three-point shooting did not cool off, as Maddi Cluse and Mia Moore knocked down deep balls, forcing Kate Paye and the Cardinal to call timeout. The timeout didn’t work for Coach Paye, as her team trailed 48-30 at the end of the third quarter. However, both teams seemed to find their rhythm, with Clemson shooting 8/15 from the field and Stanford going 5/12 in the period.
Clemson Closes Out the Win
Clemson got off to a slow start in the final period, as Stanford scored a quick two points, prompting Shawn Poppie to call a timeout with eight minutes to go. Out of the timeout, Clemson remained lethargic on offense, unable to score a field goal as Stanford cut the Tigers' lead to 15.
However, Summah Evans' fast-break three-pointer gave the Tigers their first field goal of the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 20 and putting the game out of reach for the Cardinal.
The final score was 63-46, as Clemson’s dominant defensive effort and timely scoring helped secure their spot in the second round of the ACC Tournament.
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