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Clemson Women's Basketball

Meertens Shines as Tigers Down Mercer to Move to 4-0

December 3, 2020
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CLEMSON, S.C. — Forcing 20 turnovers and limiting its opponent to a modest 54 points, Clemson showed out defensively on Wednesday and pulled away down the stretch at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers defeated the Bears 67-54 after outscoring Mercer 38-28 in the second half, and Shania Meertens led the way with an outstanding performance off the bench.

Knocking down six 3-pointers, Clemson (4-0) went 6-for-15 from behind the arc and 22-for-58 on field goals attempts overall. The Tigers also shot 17-for-27 at the free throw line and pulled down 50 rebounds, 17 more than the 33 rebounds tallied by Mercer (1-2). Making the most of their defensive intensity, Clemson scored 23 points off turnovers. Additionally, the Tigers amassed 28 points in the paint, 18 fast break points and 14 second-chance points. While Mercer’s bench was held scoreless, Clemson’s bench racked up 26 points.

Meertens was Clemson’s leading scorer on the afternoon, going 6-of-12 from the floor and 5-of-7 at the charity stripe en route to finishing with 17 points. Delicia Washington scored 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting to go along with her six rebounds. Kendall Spray, the NCAA’s active leader in career 3-pointers, connected on four 3-point attempts and corralled seven boards. Also of note, Tylar Bennett led all players with 10 rebounds. Mercer’s Jada Lewis scored a game-high 23 points.

Destiny Thomas scored the first points of the day for the Tigers via three-ball. Not long after that, Washington quickly fired up a 3-pointer immediately after receiving a pass from Weronika Hipp on the fast break. The successful 3-point try put Clemson up 8-5, and the Tigers went on to lead 12-10 at the end of the first quarter. Washington came through with an impactful steal midway through the second quarter, intercepting an inbound pass and passing ahead to Spray, who then sank a step-back trey that increased Clemson’s lead to seven points.

At halftime, the Tigers boasted a 29-26 advantage. Spray broke a tie in the closing seconds of the first half by draining a deep three from the edge of the half-court logo. Tylar Bennett forced the turnover that led to the 3-pointer by swatting a pass out of the air. Clemson outscored Mercer 20-15 in the third quarter, leading by as many as 11 points during the period. Meertens braced the Tigers late in the period, producing a 3-point play via a drive to the hoop and an ensuing free throw. Meertens proceeded to make a layup for the first basket of the fourth quarter, and Clemson controlled the game the rest of the way, winning 67-54.

Clemson Head Coach Amanda Butler came out on top against Mercer Head Coach Susie Gardner, a friend of Butler’s and a fellow native of Mt. Juliet, Tenn. Clemson will be back at it on Sunday, Dec. 6, for a matchup at Littlejohn against the College of Charleston Cougars (1-1).  The opening tip is set for 2 p.m., and the contest is scheduled to air on ACC Network Extra.

Get the latest news on all things Clemson women’s basketball by following us on Twitter (@ClemsonWBB), Facebook (/ClemsonTigersWBB) and Instagram (@ClemsonWBB).

POSTGAME QUOTES

Head Coach Amanda Butler

Opening statement:
“I’m really proud of our team. I was very concerned about this game because Mercer’s a really good team with outstanding guards. This was also the end of a really, really hard stretch for us. We haven’t had a day off in several days, and the games have gotten tougher as we’ve gone along. Our seniors really stepped up for us. Shania Meertens came to play. She played a really clean game today, and I’m very proud of her.”

On Clemson’s well-rounded production:
“I’m really please with our scoring balance. We had pretty good rebounding balance, as well. Tylar [Bennett] had 10 [rebounds]; Amari [Robinson] and Kendall [Spray] had seven [rebounds]; and  Delicia [Washington] and Gabby [Elliott] had six [rebounds]. That’s tough to do against a really good team.”

On Gabby Elliott’s performance:
“Being able to make those adjustments that we made in the second half was a big step forward for us. Gabby really ignited our transition game in the second half. She did a good job on the boards. Her defense and her energy in the open court were key to us throwing the first punch in the second half.”

Meertens Shines as Tigers Down Mercer to Move to 4-0

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