CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson stayed in the game for 20 minutes. Then No. 1 South Carolina turned a nine-point halftime lead into a 21-point win.
The Gamecocks beat the Tigers 65-44 on Thursday night at Littlejohn Coliseum in front of 5,629 fans, extending their winning streak over Clemson to 16 games. South Carolina (3-0) led 30-21 at the half, then outscored Clemson 21-7 in the third quarter, a stretch in which the Tigers missed all seven of their field goal attempts. Clemson (3-1) saw its three-game winning streak end.
What Clemson did well
The score doesn’t show how long the Tigers hung around, and several things they did should help them all season.
The defense kept them in it. Clemson held South Carolina to 43.4% shooting, 3 of 11 from 3-point range, and forced 18 turnovers. The Gamecocks missed 13 of their 29 free throws. Through two quarters, the Tigers looked like the team that had a plan.
They ran when they could. Clemson had 11 fast-break points to South Carolina’s six, and seven steals gave the Tigers chances to push the pace.
They rebounded with a bigger team. South Carolina won the boards only 40-37, and both teams had 10 offensive rebounds. Yakiya Milton and Edie Clarke each had seven rebounds.
Mackenzie Nelson attacked. She scored a team-high 17 points and made 11 of 14 free throws, which is a good sign for a team that will need to get to the line in ACC play.
They never stopped playing. The Tigers outscored South Carolina 16-14 in the fourth quarter, a small but real sign of effort in a game that was out of reach.
Where Clemson can grow
The numbers explain what went wrong, and most of it is fixable.
Shooting. Clemson made 11 of 49 shots (22.4%) and 2 of 16 3-pointers (12.5%). Nelson and Mia Moore, the leading scorers, were each 3 of 13 from the field.
Turnovers. The Tigers gave it away 21 times, and South Carolina turned those mistakes into 19 points. Clemson had just three assists all night, compared with 14 for the Gamecocks.
The paint. South Carolina outscored Clemson 36-16 inside and had a 7-1 edge in second-chance points.
The third quarter. Chloe Kitts and Tessa Johnson combined for 13 points in the first six minutes of the period, and South Carolina took a 44-22 lead with a 15-0 run. Clemson’s seven points all came from free throws. Coach Shawn Poppie said afterward that he did not think the Tigers had great focus coming out of halftime.
Why this loss can help
A loss to the nation’s top team isn’t a reason to panic. Clemson picked up a lesson most mid-November games can’t offer: what it takes to beat a team with this kind of depth and physical presence.
It also showed real progress. Last season South Carolina beat Clemson 65-37 in Columbia. This year the score was 65-44, and the Tigers played the Gamecocks even for stretches. The next step is finishing the plan for 40 minutes.
Clemson’s schedule gives it time to make that step. The Tigers play four straight home games against Stetson, USC Upstate, UNC Asheville and Elon before the ACC/SEC Challenge at Kentucky on Dec. 3. Those games are a chance to clean up the turnovers and work on shooting before conference play.
How South Carolina handled the win
South Carolina was far from perfect. The Gamecocks shot 43.4% and made only 3 of 11 from 3-point range. Joyce Edwards, who led all scorers a year ago in this series, went 2 of 9 from the field. Coach Dawn Staley said the game was physical and that her team missed some gritty plays early.
But the Gamecocks did what great teams do, winning with defense when the offense was off. They blocked six shots, had six steals and let Clemson score just 16 points inside.
Johnson led the way with 13 points, and Kitts had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Agot Makeer added eight points and three assists, and Alicia Tournebize had eight points on 4-of-5 shooting with three blocks. Staley praised Tournebize afterward, saying she thought “Ali was great.” All but two Gamecocks played.
Kitts said after the game that she does not see Clemson as a basketball rival. Staley disagreed, saying it is a rivalry.
Why South Carolina is the team to beat
The Gamecocks are No. 1 for good reasons.
A deep, proven program. South Carolina was 36-4 last season and lost the national championship game to UCLA. It has reached the Final Four every season since 2020-21 and won national titles in 2017, 2022 and 2024.
Preseason voters agreed. The Gamecocks opened as the AP’s No. 1 team with 23 of 31 first-place votes, the fifth time in seven years Staley’s team started on top.
The early schedule has been tough. South Carolina has already beaten No. 20 Maryland and No. 12 North Carolina, the latter by 45 points.
They win when they aren’t at their best. Thursday’s game was proof.
By the numbers
Clemson
Field goals: 11 of 49 (22.4%)
3-pointers: 2 of 16 (12.5%)
Free throws: 20 of 28 (71.4%)
Rebounds: 37
Assists: 3
Turnovers: 21
Steals: 7
Points in the paint: 16
Fast-break points: 11
Bench points: 10
South Carolina
Field goals: 23 of 53 (43.4%)
3-pointers: 3 of 11 (27.3%)
Free throws: 16 of 29 (55.2%)
Rebounds: 40
Assists: 14
Turnovers: 18
Steals: 6
Points in the paint: 36
Fast-break points: 6
Bench points: 18
What’s next
Clemson hosts Stetson on Sunday, Nov. 15, at Littlejohn Coliseum. South Carolina plays USC in Greenville that same day at 1 p.m. on ABC and then faces UConn on Nov. 24, one of the most anticipated games of the season.
Related: Clemson 76, ETSU 57 recap | Clemson women’s basketball | ESPN game recap
