CLEMSON, S.C. (seminoles.com — A strong 26-10 push in the third quarter is what Florida State Women’s Basketball needed as it earned a road win at Clemson, 79-68, on Tuesday night at LittleJohn Coliseum.
Trailing 36-35 at the half, FSU used a key 11-0 run in the third to break away from the Tigers (6-11, 0-6). Redshirt junior forward Erin Howard came up big during the stretch with two 3-point field goals and another bucket underneath.
The Seminoles (8-7, 2-3) have now won 22 of their last 25 contests vs. Clemson.
“We didn’t come out with the intensity we needed to in the beginning, but in the third quarter they did that,” FSU Head Coach Sue Semrau said. “We turned things around in the second half and came out and played like we needed to.”
Senior guard Morgan Jones led the Noles with 20 points, her third 20-point performance of the season and the sixth of her career. It’s her second 20-point game in her four ACC games this year, scoring 21 vs. Virginia Tech.
Florida State also forced a season-high tying 23 turnovers by the Tigers, FSU’s most turnovers forced in ACC play this season. The Seminoles showed their immense depth once again when healthy, out-scoring Clemson 32-7 off the bench.
The 34-32 edge on the glass on Tuesday night also means FSU has out-rebounded 14 of its first 15 opponents. The Seminoles shot 53 percent from the floor as well, their fourth game this season shooting at 50 percent or better.
Redshirt senior guard Bianca Jackson added 11 points for the Seminoles, while Howard, Sammie Puisis and Makayla Timpson each delivered eight.
FSU out-scored the Tigers 20-13 in the second quarter and trailed just by one at the half. Jones already secured her 13th consecutive game in double figures with 11 points, while Jackson added nine off the bench for the Noles. Both teams shot 50 percent through the game’s first 20 minutes.
Clemson raced out a 23-15 lead through the first quarter, getting off to hot start as it shot 71 percent from the floor. Delicia Washington led all scorers with eight early points, but Bianca Jackson came off the bench to give FSU a boost with five points of her own, including a three from the corner to make it 23-15 Clemson with 1:03 left in the frame.
Clemson’s Amari Robinson led all scorers with 27 points, while Washington added 17.
FSU kept enough pace in the fourth quarter to pull away and nab its first road win in the ACC this season.
A quick turnaround this week includes a Thursday home game vs. rival Miami at 8 p.m. on Bally Sports at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
