It was the Clemson women’s basketball team who walked away with a win on Thursday as they defeated Wofford by a score of 85-77 to open up their season at Littlejohn Coliseum.
It was also the Lady Tigers’ first win under new head coach Amanda Holder.
“We get a lot of energy from our steals,” said first year Clemson head coach Amanda Butler. “We also gave up a lot of points, but we were really tough on defense when it mattered most, especially in the fourth quarter. That’s when we really play our best defense.”
While the Lady Tigers trailed most of the first half and into the second, they kept the game close throughout the first three periods. Down seven points with 1:24 left in the first, Kobi Thornton caressed an offensive rebound and finished inside making the score 24-20, stopping a Wofford run.
Trailing by six with under two minutes left in the second, Clemson’s Chyna Cotton started a 6-0 run to tie the game at 47 heading into the half. The Tigers came out the second half a different team defensively.
Clemson dominated the Terriers defensively as it recorded 16 steals in comparison to Wofford’s eight.
Clemson took control in the second half and wouldn’t look back as it outscored Wofford 38-30 in the second half. The Lady Tigers were led by Kobi Thornton as she scored 25 of their points.
“That’s the type of player Kobi is,” said Butler. “I’m really proud of her consistency from beginning to the end of the game. She played through a lot of fatigue but she’s very tough matchup. There’s not really anybody on their team that could check Kobi as a rebounder and even as a scorer.”
The big difference in the game for the Tigers was their points in the paint as they outscored Wofford in the paint 48-18.
Thornton was able to help seal the victory, as she recorded a double-double for her efforts, totaling 12 rebounds as well. She was also active on the defensive end picking up a pair of steals and blocks in the paint.
The Lady Tigers will play Sunday as they take on Lipscomb at 2 p.m., at Litttlejohn Coliseum in Clemson.