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Clemson women’s basketball is beginning to find its footing in ACC play, and the Tigers’ momentum is being fueled by timely growth from a veteran core that continues to embrace balance over star power.
Clemson (14-7, 5-4) returns home to Littlejohn Coliseum on Thursday night to face SMU (8-13, 1-8) after a statement 65–58 road win at Notre Dame, the program’s first victory against the Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion since Dec. 19, 2019. The win also snapped a two-game road skid, coming on the heels of a narrow defeat to Virginia Tech (71–68).
Head coach Shawn Poppie pointed to resilience and culture as defining traits of the performance against the Demon Deacons.
“We feel like we let one slip away, then to come right back,” Poppie said after the win. “I think that speaks to kind of the culture and the people that we have in that locker room, we’re building. And so, I know it had been a long time, but we’ve only been here two years. That’s all we can really talk about.”
The victory left Clemson tied with Notre Dame for eighth place in an ACC that received a record-tying eight NCAA Tournament bids last season.
“It’s a big one for a lot in the program’s sake,” Poppie said, “but ultimately, for this team, right? They have dreams and aspirations of getting themselves to an NCAA tournament, and road wins like this at Notre Dame — it goes a long way down the stretch.”
Against the Irish, DePaul transfer Taylor Johnson-Matthews led Clemson for a second straight game, scoring 18 points after pouring in 20 in the loss to Virginia Tech. Her emergence has added another layer to a team that, much like Brad Brownell’s No. 22 men’s squad, thrives on collective production rather than a single featured scorer.
Senior Mia Moore leads the Tigers in scoring at 11.8 points per game, but Johnson-Matthews, Rusne Augustinaite, Rachael Rose, Raven Thompson, Demeara Hinds, and Hannah Kohn have all led the team in scoring in at least one game this season.
That depth has become even more pronounced during conference play, particularly with the improved performances of seniors Rose and Thompson. Rose, averaging 10.1 points per game overall, has elevated her impact in ACC action, ranking second on the team over the last seven conference games at 12.6 points per contest. She scored a season-high 20 points and knocked down four 3-pointers in Clemson’s 78–71 overtime win over Wake Forest.
A preseason Nancy Lieberman Award watch list nominee and former two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year, Rose struggled early in the season after missing most of last year with a knee injury, at times appearing hesitant even on open looks. Over the past month, however, her confidence and rhythm have returned.
Thompson’s rise has been just as significant. The former SoCon Freshman of the Year at Chattanooga is averaging a team-best 14.6 points over the past seven games and delivered a season-high 24 points with four 3-pointers in Clemson’s 70–55 road win at Miami. Despite standing just 5-foot-10 and playing forward, Thompson ranks sixth in ACC games in field goal percentage at .571.
Last season, Clemson sat at 11-9 and 4-5 at the midpoint of league play before finishing the regular season 13-16 overall and 6-12 in the ACC. The Tigers also opened conference play 3-1 a year ago.
“Each group is different,” Poppie said when asked how this season could unfold differently. “I would say the will and determination with the group we have, they do not care about anything but winning. And that’s I think a little bit of a difference of this year and last year. And that’s not to discredit what we had, right? It’s just this group is a little bit tighter, a little bit more selfless when it comes to who cares who gets the credit, as long as we win.”
Clemson will look to continue that climb Thursday night against SMU at 7:00 p.m. ET on ACC Extra before hosting Florida State on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET.
