No. 14 Syracuse women beat Clemson from distance 84-75

Jan 4, 2019, 02:26 am

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Miranda Drummond and Gabrielle Cooper combined for 45 points and 12 3-pointers to lead No. 14 Syracuse to an 84-75 win over Clemson in an Atlantic Coast Conference opener on Thursday night.

Drummond had 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting, five of the makes from behind the arc. Cooper added 22 points, going 7 of 12 from 3-point range with a free throw. The Orange (12-2), who had won six straight, went 16 of 38 behind the line, 11 of 31 inside.

Syracuse had nine 3-pointers in the first half, five by Cooper, to take a 43-29 lead. Cooper had back-to-back 3s as the Orange scored the last eight points. Syracuse was 9 of 24 from distance while Clemson missed all five attempts behind the arc.

The first three makes of the second half for the Orange were from distance, allowing the lead to reach 19 but an 11-2 run kept Clemson in range. Down nine entering the fourth quarter, a 10-2 start got it down to four and moments later three but Tiana Mangakahia and Cooper hit back-to-back 3-pointers.

Danielle Edwards had 14 points and Kobi Thornton 20 for Clemson (9-5), which went 1 of 8 from distance.