Clemson Women's Basketball: Tigers Battled Hokies to the End on Senior Day

Basketball players in orange uniforms huddle on court. Names and numbers visible. Audience and purple seating in the background. — Tigers are huddled up during a break in action against the Virginia Tech Hokies. (Photo By: Charles Mays/Tiger View Media)

Senior Day & 50th Year Celebration

Clemson Women’s Basketball hosted Virginia Tech for its 50th Year Celebration and Senior Day recognition. In their final home game of the season at Littlejohn Coliseum, the team honored Loyal McQueen, Maddi Cluse, Madi Ott, Anya Poole, Summah Evans, Tessa Miller, and Addie Porter. Virginia Tech entered the game seeking a crucial win to secure seeding in the ACC Tournament and bolster its NCAA Tournament hopes, as the team currently sits on the bubble.

First Quarter: Hokies Find Early Rhythm

Despite an early turnover, Virginia Tech’s offense quickly found its rhythm. In the first quarter, the Hokies built a 12-6 lead before heading into the first official timeout. Straight out of the huddle, Tessa Miller came to life, scoring five straight points. Mia Moore followed up with a beautiful spin move for a basket.

Second Quarter: Battle in the Paint

Then, the battle in the paint began. Carleigh Wenzel sliced through Clemson’s defense, finishing at the rim multiple times. Rose Micheaux added six points in the paint during a 9-0 Hokies run to open the second quarter. However, Clemson’s offense didn’t stay quiet for long. Miller continued to establish a strong post presence, racking up 15 points on near-perfect 7-of-8 shooting in the first half alone. Clemson relied heavily on its interior scoring, with 82% of its 34 first-half points coming from the paint, compensating for a tough 1-of-11 performance from beyond the arc.

Third Quarter: Momentum Shift & Injury Scare

Clemson’s struggles from three-point range seemed to turn around when Moore hit back-to-back threes to open the third quarter. However, disaster struck at the 5:52 mark when Wenzel drew a tough foul on Moore, leading to an ankle injury that forced her to exit the game. The Hokies capitalized on the momentum shift, draining two more threes and converting a layup off a Clemson turnover as part of a 9-2 run.

After a quiet first half, McQueen found her rhythm in the third quarter, scoring eight points. Following a jumper, she ran back down the court clapping, hyping up her teammates. Moore later returned to the game and immediately knocked down another three, helping Clemson stay within striking distance, trailing by just three points heading into the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter: Summah Evans Sparks a Late Push

Virginia Tech attempted to slow the tempo in the final period, clogging the paint and forcing Clemson to find another scoring option. That’s when Summah Evans stepped up. Coming off the bench, the senior shot an impressive 5-of-6, scoring all 13 of her points in the fourth quarter. With a minute left, Moore made a crucial steal and dished it to McQueen on a fast break, cutting Virginia Tech’s lead to three. Evans then drilled a clutch three-pointer, bringing the score to 78-76.

With seven seconds remaining, Moore played tenacious defense on Wenzel, forcing a miss and grabbing the rebound, giving the Tigers one final chance to tie or take the lead. Moore managed to get off a tough shot, but it wouldn’t fall, sealing the heartbreaking 78-76 loss for Clemson.

Tigers Battled Hokies

Despite the defeat, four Tigers reached double figures on Senior Day. Moore led the team with 24 points and nine rebounds. Miller delivered a dominant performance with 19 points on 9-of-10 shooting, adding seven rebounds and eight assists. McQueen also contributed four assists. The Tigers battled the Hokies to the end, and showed great resilience.

The result closed out head coach Shawn Poppie’s first regular season at Clemson with a 13-16 overall record (6-12 ACC). The Tigers now turn their attention to the ACC Tournament later in the week.