CLEMSON, S.C. — In a competitive matchup, Clemson triumphed over No. 20 California with a score of 69-58 on Thursday evening, thanks to strong performances from Loyal McQueen, who scored 18 points, and Mia Moore, who contributed 14 points to the victory.

During the game, the Tigers executed a notable 7-0 scoring spree in the third quarter, which included a pivotal three-point play by Anya Poole that pushed the score to 47-42. Following that, Moore played a crucial role by netting the first seven points in a subsequent 12-0 run, which propelled Clemson to a significant 61-46 advantage entering the final quarter.

Although California managed to initiate a 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter, they were unable to reduce the deficit to single digits. For Clemson, Tessa Miller added 11 points, while Raven Thompson came in off the bench to score 10 points.

Clemson capitalized on California’s mistakes, scoring 23 points off 15 turnovers committed by the Golden Bears, in contrast to their own minimal turnovers, which resulted in just 10 giveaways for a mere five points.

For California, Ioanna Krimili led the scoring efforts with 18 points, supported by Ugonne Onyiah, who had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Marta Suarez, contributing 12 points.

In a key third-quarter performance, the Tigers shot impressively, going 10 for 17, while California struggled, making only 4 of their 13 attempts and committing five turnovers.

McQueen also made an impact at the end of the quarters, scoring the final points of the first quarter to give Clemson a 17-15 lead and then hitting a buzzer-beater layup to end the second quarter, which left the Tigers with a slim 36-35 lead at halftime.

Throughout the evenly contested first half, McQueen recorded 14 points, while Krimili kept pace for California with 13.

Clemson’s next challenge will be at home against Stanford on Sunday, while California is set to face SMU.