On Thursday night the Clemson women’s basketball team took on the Syracuse Orange, unable to come out on top. The Tigers have struggled this season, especially against ACC teams (0-9), and were unable to turn things around at the Carrier Dome in New York against the No. 5 team in their conference.

Clemson held Syracuse to shooting 32.6 percent in the first half, but that was not enough to stop them from finding scoring opportunities. 

Syracuse had 16 offensive rebounds and capitalized on Clemson’s 22 turnovers. Even though the Tigers were shooting 58.8 percent in this half, an impressive statistic, their turnovers and mistakes allowed the Orange to lead 39-26 by halftime.

The third quarter caught a glimpse of improvement as the Tigers cut the Orange’s lead but were unable to play consistently through four quarters. The Orange used the last ten minutes of play to make five three point shots and expand their lead to 83-62.

Head Coach Audra Smith commented on the team’s loss and noted that the fourth quarter was where the game escaped them. 

“We hung in there through three quarters, but with injuries and limited numbers, as well as foul trouble, we just weren’t able to sustain and lost it going into the fourth quarter,” she said. The Lady Tigers allowed a season-high 33 turnovers in this game, which affected their ability to close the point gap between the two teams during the game’s entirety.

The Tigers weren’t able to get enough shots during the game when they needed to, despite having an overall shooting percentage of 48 percent Thursday.  

“We shot well, but we didn’t get enough shots,” said Smith.

The team had a season high percentage of three point shots, and multiple players contributed to the team’s overall shooting success. 

Nelly Perry, Victoria Cardaci, Danielle Edwards and Paige Mosley each scored double figures; the first time all four had reached these numbers at the same time this season. Perry reached double figures for her fifteenth time this season and Edwards reached her fourth double-double of the season against the Orange.

Ultimately the Tigers were able to make a large amount of the shots they took, but did not take enough to defeat the Orange. 

The Tigers look to turn their season around as they take on Wake Forest (12-11) on Thursday, Feb. 11, back home in Clemson.