The Clemson Tigers powered past Virginia 63-50 in second-round action of the Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament Thursday in Duluth, Georgia, thanks to a dominant second-half performance led by Mia Moore.
Moore finished with 19 total points, with 17 of those coming after halftime to fuel the ninth-seeded Tigers’ comeback victory. Clemson improved to 21-10 on the season and earned a quarterfinal showdown Friday against top-seeded Duke, currently ranked 13th nationally.
The Tigers shot an impressive 12-of-19 from the floor in the final two quarters, while Taylor Johnson-Matthews contributed 10 points coming off the bench. Notably, Clemson handed Duke one of just two conference losses during regular season play less than two weeks ago.
Virginia, seeded eighth with a 19-11 record, struggled offensively throughout the contest, managing just 32.8 percent shooting on 20-of-61 attempts from the field. Paris Clark paced the Cavaliers with 15 points while Kymora Johnson chipped in 12.
The Cavaliers did manage to grab a third-quarter advantage after putting together an 8-0 scoring run during a stretch where Clemson went scoreless for four and a half minutes. However, Moore responded with 10 crucial fourth-quarter points to seal the victory.
In other tournament action Thursday, Notre Dame cruised past Miami 69-54 behind Hannah Hidalgo’s 28-point explosion. The fifth-seeded Fighting Irish built a commanding 37-23 halftime lead and never looked back.
Hidalgo connected on 12-of-22 field goal attempts while Cassandre Prosper added 12 points for Notre Dame (21-9). The Irish will battle fourth-seeded NC State in Friday’s quarterfinals. Both teams struggled from the free-throw line, combining for just 13-of-27 attempts.
Miami’s 12th-seeded Hurricanes (17-14) got 15 points from Gal Raviv, 13 from Ahnay Adams, and a double-double of 11 points and 15 rebounds from Ra Shaya Kyles. The Hurricanes opened the fourth quarter with 10 straight points to cut the deficit to 58-50 before falling short.
Syracuse survived a late scare to defeat California 70-59, with Uche Izoje recording 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots for the seventh-seeded Orange. Syracuse (23-7) will face second-seeded Louisville in Friday’s quarterfinals.
The Orange held a 21-point third-quarter advantage before Cal rallied to make it 52-47 with 6:26 remaining. Laila Phelia scored 17 points and Sophie Burrows added 13, including key late free throws, to help Syracuse close out the win.
Cal’s 10th-seeded Bears (19-14) were led by Sakima Walker’s 19 points, Lulu Twidale’s 14 and Gisella Maul’s 13. The Bears trailed 37-16 at intermission and finished a dismal 3-for-19 from three-point territory.
Virginia Tech completed Thursday’s action with a 62-54 victory over Georgia Tech, overcoming an early 14-point deficit. Carleigh Wenzel led the sixth-seeded Hokies with 15 points while Mackenzie Nelson contributed 14.
The Hokies (23-8) advance to face third-seeded North Carolina in Friday night’s quarterfinals. Six different Virginia Tech players reached double figures in scoring, and the team collected 13 offensive rebounds despite shooting just 36.2 percent from the field.
Georgia Tech’s 11th-seeded Yellow Jackets (14-18) got 20 points from Talayah Walker and 12 from La’Nya Foster. The Yellow Jackets managed only six points in the second quarter and eight in the fourth. Walker accounted for seven of the team’s 20 made field goals and two of their four successful three-pointers.
