The Clemson women’s basketball team was unable to follow in the footsteps of the men’s squad, who defeated Syracuse, and came up short in its matchup against the Orange, falling 67-55.
Clemson (11-10, 4-6 ACC) could not carry its momentum from the Miami win into this game. The Syracuse matchup marks the team’s ninth straight conference matchup — a streak marked by notable highs but several losses as well.
Clemson found a flicker of hope in the final 1:41 of the first half, as Addie Porter was able to knock down a 3-pointer to stop Syracuse’s momentum. McQueen followed with back-to-back layups, trimming Syracuse’s lead to five.
With 26 seconds remaining in the first half, Clemson’s Maddi Cluse drained a clutch 3-pointer to cut Syracuse’s lead back to two, sending the Littlejohn Coliseum crowd into a frenzy.
For the Tigers, guard Loyal McQueen continued her strong season, leading the team with 15 points and three assists. McQueen’s backcourt partner, Mia Moore, recorded a career-high five steals, contributing to Syracuse’s 15 turnovers. Moore led the Tigers with 10 rebounds.
Syracuse (8-12, 2-7 ACC) was guided by forward Kyra Wood, who led all scorers with 16 points and recorded 11 rebounds.
Despite scoring 17 points off turnovers and outscoring Syracuse’s bench 27-15, Clemson was unable to find a rhythm from beyond the arc. Hannah Kohn sparked the game’s first momentum shift with a clutch 4-point play, followed by another three of her own to extend Clemson’s first-quarter lead.
However, the Tigers were ice cold to start the second quarter, shooting 0-for-10 from three after starting 3-for-6 in the first. Syracuse was able to extend to a 13-0 run, pushing their lead to 9 points.
Clemson closed the half on a 7-0 run over the final 1:41, taking a 28-26 deficit into the break.
Regardless of the momentum the Tigers carried into the second half — which included briefly regaining the lead — Clemson struggled once again from behind the arc, shooting 0-for-9 from three in the final quarter. Syracuse took advantage of the shooting struggles, outscoring the Tigers 25-8 in the fourth to secure the win.
The Tigers will travel up north to face Boston College next weekend.
