Coastal Carolina University
0-1
Clemson
1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal Carolina | 15 | 9 | 18 | 15 | 57 |
| Clemson | 15 | 21 | 9 | 19 | 64 |
Chants Fall in Season Opener at Clemson
11/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CLEMSON, S.C. - The Coastal Carolina women's basketball team fell in its season opening game at Clemson Friday afternoon as the Tigers turned in a strong first half and held on to edge the Chanticleers by a 64-57 score.
After an even first quarter, Clemson (1-0, 0-0 ACC) outscored the Chants (0-1, 0-0 Sun Belt) 21-9 in the second frame to take an 11-point advantage into halftime. A strong third quarter by Coastal cut the deficit to just two points, but a series of free throws by Clemson during the game's final stretch helped the Tigers seal the win.
Coastal matched or bested Clemson in nearly every statistical category, but was undone by its 21 turnovers and 26 personal fouls in the contest. Each side shot just under 30 percent from the field and CCU held a 55-49 advantage in rebounds, but Coastal allowed Clemson plenty of opportunities at the free throw line, where the Tigers finished 26-of-41.
Friday's season-opening loss is the first for Coastal under fourth-year head coach Jaida Williams, and the program's first since the 2012-13 season opener.
Coastal makes its 2016-17 home debut on Tuesday when the Chants host NC Central for a 7 p.m. game at the HTC Center.
A total of 11 Chanticleers saw the floor during Friday's game with Rachael Gregory playing a team-leading 35 minutes. Gregory and Jas Adams paced the Chants with 14 points apiece and both finished 5-of-11 from the floor. Two of Adams' shots came from beyond the arc, while Gregory earned four of her points from the line.
Gregory also led the Chants with nine rebounds to finish just shy of her first double-double in a Coastal uniform.
Yasmin Miller followed Gregory with eight rebounds while adding seven points, five of which came consecutively in the third quarter as Coastal was making an 18-9 charge.
Jaia Alexander led Clemson with 15 points, and was the most active Tiger at the charity stripe where she went 7-of-10. Alexis Carter hit 6-of-8 shots from the line, including several in the fourth quarter that allowed Clemson to retain its lead.
Clemson's 63 percent free throw shooting for the game rose to 70 percent in the fourth quarter alone as the Tigers went 14-of-20 from the line over the game's final 10 minutes. Clemson's last field goal of the contest came at the 6:08 mark of the fourth, and the Tigers closed the game with 10 points from free throws.
