CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Clemson women’s basketball turned a one-possession game into a runaway over the final minutes Sunday, finishing off Miami for a 70-55 at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables.
Miami carried a 28-26 edge into halftime, but Clemson answered coming out of the break and then grabbed the lead for good early in the third.
The Hurricanes still had a chance. Gal Raviv opened the 4th with a bucket, then Amarachi Kimpson drilled a three to tie the score at 46 with 8:24 to play. Clemson responded with the game-winning punch: a 19-4 run that stretched the margin to 65-50 and drained the energy from the building. The Tigers finished on a 22-7 run over those final eight and a half minutes.
Raven Thompson headlined Clemson’s separation, splashing four threes and pouring in a season-high 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting. Demeara Hinds added 13 points, while Rusne Augustinaite knocked down four threes on her way to 12 points. Mia Moore orchestrated the offense with seven points and a career-high 12 assists.
Miami leaned on its veteran duo in the loss. Ra Shaya Kyle and Gal Raviv scored 12 apiece, with Kyle grabbing nine rebounds. Natalie Wetzel finished with nine points on two 3s, and Kimpson chipped in eight. Soma Okolo gave the Hurricanes a clean lift off the bench, hitting all three of her shots for six points in eight minutes.
Clemson won the possession battle, and that edge decided the game. The Tigers piled up 12 offensive rebounds and turned them into 20 second-chance points, while Miami managed just seven second-chance points. Clemson also turned 13 Miami turnovers into 17 points. Both teams shot efficiently overall — Miami 43.8% and Clemson 44.1% — but Clemson’s volume from deep (12 made threes) and extra chances near the rim swung the margin.
Miami returns to the Watsco Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, against Louisville.
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