CLEMSON – There may still be ice and snow in Clemson, but the Tigers warmed up quickly at Littlejohn Coliseum Sunday to glide to a 77-58 win over the Florida State Seminoles.

After a close win at Notre Dame and a blowout victory over the SMU Mustangs last Thursday, Clemson’s scorching streak extended to seven wins in its last nine games. The win marked the third-largest victory over an in-conference opponent this season.

At first, the Tigers’ (16-7, 7-4 ACC) offense was slightly icy, starting 0-of-6 from three-point range after hitting 12 shots from behind the arc against SMU. Before the deep shots started to fall, forward Raven Thompson knocked down three shots from close range for six early first quarter points.

Despite struggling from the arc, Clemson only trailed for a few seconds early on.

With 3:55 left to play in the first period, Ruse Augustinaite– fresh off of a season-high 21-point game– opened the lid off of the rim, hitting a triple to make the score 9-7 in favor of the Tigers.

From this point on, the Seminoles (7-15, 2-8 ACC) never led again.

With her first made three-pointer, Thompson collected nine total first quarter points, sending the Tigers into the second period with a 21-15 lead. 

Shooting guard Hannah Kohn decided to make the second quarter her own, breaking the seal off of a small shooting slump that included a 1-of-9 evening Thursday night. The former University of Tennessee Chattanooga star knocked down three shots from long range in the second period, almost half of Clemson’s point total, finishing with 10 points before halftime.

Thanks in large part to Kohn, Thompson, and Augustinaite, the Tigers went to the locker room up 42-27. While maintaining a double-digit lead for most of the second quarter, however, the absence of center Demeara Hinds hindered the Tigers.

In the first half, Florida State scored 16 points in the paint to Clemson’s 12, and notched 11 second chance points to Clemson’s eight. Still, the Tigers scored 10 points off of seven Seminole turnovers and tied Florida State in offensive rebounds.

In the third quarter, both teams shot poorly from long range, but Thompson rattled off another seven-point quarter to keep the Tigers ahead.

The senior finished with 18 points, just shy of her season-high 24, while adding seven rebounds. Forward Hadley Periman led the charge on the glass with 11 rebounds, and a team-high three assists.

Augustinaite knocked down two triples in the fourth quarter to keep the Tigers firmly ahead. Kohn finished with 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep.

Freshmen Holland Harris also got a bucket in the fourth quarter.

With the win, Clemson snapped a three-game losing streak against the Seminoles dating back to 2023, and surpassed its ACC win total from last year. The Tigers now have seven conference wins after going 6-12 in league play last season.

When It Was Over

After the Seminoles went on a small run to start the fourth quarter, Augustinaite knocked down her third three-pointer, almost from the Tiger paw logo, to take a 63-44 lead. Two minutes later, she swished another to take a 20-point lead. At this point, all of Littlejohn faithful knew it was not going to happen for the Seminoles.

Play of the Game

With 38 seconds to play in the first half, point guard Rachael Rose drove to the paint, and when a second defender came to cut her off, she dished a no-look pass to Hadley Periman, who knocked in the short shot to take a 15-point lead at the half.

Injuries

Demeara Hinds, usually the Tigers’ starting center, did not play today. She warmed up with the team, but sat on the bench in warmups.

Up Next 

After a two-game home stand, the Tigers will head to Chapel Hill to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels (17-5, 6-3 ACC) on Thursday. Tip is set for 6 p.m. Clemson will look to avenge a two-point loss to the Heels last season. Coverage will be shown on ACC Network.

—photo courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications