WBB: Thornton Drops 22 as Clemson Falls to North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Clemson fell to North Carolina at Carmichael Arena on Sunday. Despite, the Tigers' Kobi Thornton scoring 22 points, Clemson lost to the Tar Heels by a final score of 86-72.
Both teams shot the ball efficiently on the afternoon. Clemson (7-15, 3-8) finished with a shooting percentage of 45.3, and North Carolina (16-6, 7-4) ended with shooting percentage of 50. The Tigers knocked down five 3-pointers and corralled 31 rebounds, while the Tar Heels sank eight treys and pulled down 41 boards. The Clemson bench was productive, with 24 of Clemson's points coming from bench players.
Thornton recorded 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting for one the best offensive outputs of her Clemson career. She tallied six rebounds to move into eighth place on Clemson's all-time rebounding list, as well. Kendall Spray knocked down three 3-balls and compiled 15 points, with 11 of them coming in the second half. Destiny Thomas hauled in a season-high six boards, and Danae McNeal registered nine points in an impressive four minutes of action off the bench. North Carolina's Taylor Koenen made four 3-pointers and scored a game-high 26 points.
The Tar Heels built up momentum with a 9-0 run that spanned approximately three minutes of play in the first quarter, providing North Carolina with a 17-4 lead. Through one quarter, Clemson trailed 27-10. North Carolina went on to lead 47-27 at halftime after shooting 54.1 percent in the first half.
Facing a 20-point deficit in the third quarter, Clemson went on a 7-0 run to pull within 13, but North Carolina then responded with a 7-0 run of its own. The Tigers outscored the Tar Heels in the second half 45-39, though, with Clemson heating up from the floor late in the game. Clemson made seven of its final eight field goal attempts, but North Carolina came away with an 86-72 win.
Clemson will next battle the Virginia Cavaliers (8-13, 3-7) at John Paul Jones Arena on Thursday, Feb. 6. The ACC matchup in Charlottesville, Va., is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. and air on ACC Network Extra.