Clemson led for a good portion of the game, but the 6-seed Cardinals edged the Tigers in OT (Clemson athletics photo).

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Thursday, March 06 2025

Clemson’s ACC Tournament run came to an end on Thursday night.

In the first matchup in Louisville, the Cardinals got the best of the Tigers, offensively overwhelming their conference foe in a decisive victory.

The rematch in Greensboro needed extra basketball to determine a quarterfinalist.

Clutch triples from Hannah Kohn turned what seemed to be a close victory for Louisville into five more minutes on the neutral floor.

Despite that momentum carrying Clemson into overtime, the Cardinals' eight makes from the charity stripe were enough to hold on in a tight 70-68 victory.

Clemson moves to 14-17 on the season, with the Cardinals moving on to face Duke in the quarterfinals Friday night.

Loyal McQueen, who dropped 17 points in the first round victory over Stanford, was the Cardinals' top priority to slow down on the defensive side. Louisville’s mission made life difficult for Clemson’s top scorer, who only managed to total 2 points in the first half.

McQueen had 16 in the first outing against Louisville but was heavily limited as the Cardinals closed in on her inside, forcing the Tigers’ top option to defer looks to outside shooting. Despite being shut down as a scorer, she found her groove in the fourth quarter and overtime, dropping 11 to finish the contest.

In regulation, the Tigers had opportunities to stretch their lead over the Cardinals, but turnovers proved to be the obstacle to that goal.

Clemson totaled 14 turnovers, with Louisville collecting 11 points off of those miscues from the Tiger offense.

Another factor in the Cardinals' success was the ability to get to the line 30 times, securing 21 makes from the charity stripe. In overtime, Louisville went four minutes without a basket, yet trips to the line kept the upset bid from truly taking shape, collecting points in a different fashion.

That hunt for shots inside also led to 42 points in the paint, finding an advantage close to the rim.

Kohn led the Tigers with 14, pairing clutch triples that led the offense to secure a shot in overtime. Raven Thompson added 12 points off the bench, making it her second game in double figures in the ACC Tournament.

Clemson finished shooting 44% from the field, draining eight of its 21 3-pointers.

Just like we drew it up 🤩

Tigers lead by four to start the fourth quarter.

📺 ACCN pic.twitter.com/otfUXLonwA
— Clemson Women's Basketball (@ClemsonWBB) March 7, 2025