Clemson Tigers Unable to Shut Down Fiery Syracuse Offense in ACC Matchup

The Clemson Tigers women's basketball team found itself unable to overcome the Syracuse Orange in ACC action on Sunday.
Nov 4, 2024; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Coach Shawn Poppie with the team playing Jackson State University during the fourth quarter at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Monday, Nov 4, 2024.  Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Nov 4, 2024; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Coach Shawn Poppie with the team playing Jackson State University during the fourth quarter at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Monday, Nov 4, 2024. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
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The Clemson Tigers (11-10, 4-6) hosted the Syracuse Orange (8-12, 2-7) in a Sunday afternoon battle of the orange.

Syracuse pulled out the 67-55 victory, grabbing its second conference win. Clemson could not pull out their usual offensive efforts to stay afloat at home.

Before the start of the matchup, Clemson's Loyal McQueen was honored in front of the home crowd for surpassing 1,000 career points. This is McQueen's first season with the Tigers. She previously played for both Georgia Tech and Alabama.

McQueen is one of several first-year members of the team, along with their head coach, Shawn Poppie, who took over at the start of this season.

Despite Clemson having the homecourt advantage at Littlejohn Arena, the Tigers had to fight to keep their lead above Syracuse at times before ultimately falling at home. The Orange led the Tigers, 28-26, at the half, and had major momentum rolling into the third quarter.

Clemson's usual scorers were quiet in the first two quarters, allowing Syracuse to gain some much-needed leverage in the paint. Both teams were able to capitalize on second-chance points with effective offensive rebounding efforts inside the paint and around the arc.

McQueen led Clemson's scoring efforts with a total of 15 points along with three assists. Hannah Kohn had a terrific performance off the bench, adding 13 points to Clemson's final score. Kohn scored multiple clutch 3-pointers well beyond the arc, putting Clemson in a better position heading into the fourth quarter.

Kyra Wood and Izabel Varejao scored the bulk of the points for Syracuse, recording 16 points each. Both Orange players recorded a double-double, racking up 11 and 12 rebounds, respectively. Their offensive efforts really drove their fourth-quarter victory against the Tigers.

It seemed the shots were not falling for Clemson, burying their chances of getting out from underneath Syracuse. The Tigers went 19-for-68 from the floor and only grabbed 38 rebounds, a minimal effort compared to Syracuse's 51 rebounds.

Clemson will look ahead to their matchup against Boston College on Feb. 2. They will need to secure the road win to stay above the Eagles in the ACC rankings.


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