In Greensboro, North Carolina, a thrilling matchup unfolded during the first round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday night, where Clemson emerged victorious against Stanford with a 63-46 win. Loyal McQueen led the charge for the 14-seed Tigers, scoring a notable 17 points. Meanwhile, Mia Moore made a significant impact by sinking four 3-point shots, contributing a total of 14 points to Clemson’s success.
The Tigers, who now hold a season record of 14-16, are set to face sixth-seed Louisville in the tournament’s second round on Thursday. Their previous encounter with the Cardinals, which ended in a 78-52 defeat on February 27, is still fresh in their minds. As for Stanford, 11-seed with a 16-14 record, this loss potentially halts their impressive streak of 36 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Clemson saw an additional standout performance from Anya Poole, who contributed 12 points. The team shot at an impressive 44% accuracy from the field, successfully making 8 out of 17 three-point attempts. This victory also set a new milestone for Clemson, as they recorded 220 successful 3-pointers this season—a single-season program record.
Courtney Ogden stood out for Stanford, being the only player to reach double-digit scoring with 13 points. However, Stanford struggled with their shooting throughout the game, managing only a 31% accuracy rate. Nunu Agara, the Cardinal’s leading scorer and rebounder, returned to the court after recovering from an injury sustained on February 6 against Notre Dame. In her 17 minutes of play, she contributed eight points. The 46 points posted by Stanford in this game marked their lowest scoring performance this season.
During the first half, both teams failed to make any 3-pointers, but Clemson regained momentum in the third quarter by making five 3-point shots compared to Stanford’s three. This strong performance allowed the Tigers to transform an 11-point halftime lead into an 18-point advantage. Although Stanford came within seven points, Clemson responded with a remarkable streak of four consecutive three-pointers, including Moore’s back-to-back successes in the third quarter.
Clemson’s dominance extended into the fourth quarter, where they enjoyed a lead as large as 20 points. Stanford initially took a 6-0 lead, but McQueen’s nine points in the first quarter helped Clemson gain an 11-10 edge. In the second quarter, Poole’s eight points enabled the Tigers to outpace Stanford 16-6, leading to a 27-16 halftime score. Stanford’s shooting woes were compounded by a mere 23% field goal percentage and 10 turnovers in the first half.
