Dani Edwards waited all of her life, including her first three years at Clemson, to play in the NCAA Tournament. So, when she took her shot in Friday’s first-round game you can imagine how nervous she was.
The three-point attempt hit nothing. It was an air ball.
Luckily for No. 9 seed Clemson that was the worse shot Edwards took all day. The senior caught fire in the fourth-period, scoring 12 of her 25 points in the fourth as Clemson rolled to a 79-66 victory over No. 8 seed South Dakota in the Portland Regional in Starkville, Miss.
The Tigers outscored the Coyotes 48-31 in the second half, after trailing 35-31 at the break.
The win was Clemson’s first in the NCAA Tournament since 2001. It was also the Tigers’ 20th win of the season, the first time the program has done that since 2001 as well.
Edwards was 10 of 17 from the field, including 5 of 9 from the arc. She knocked down four three-pointers in the fourth period, sparking a 12-0 run that allowed the Tigers to run away with the game.
Simone Westbrook added a game-high 27 points on 11 of 20 shooting. The graduate student kept the Tigers in the game until Edwards got going in the fourth period.
Clemson (20-12) also got 16 points from Aliyah Collier, who scored 11 points in the second half for the Tigers.
The Tigers were 9 of 21 from behind the arc. Edwards scored 17 points in the second half.
Clemson held the Coyotes (28-6) to one field goal in the final six minutes to take a 51-48 lead at the end of the third period. The Tigers outscored South Dakota 20-13 in the third period.
The Tigers went on an 11-1 run in the third, taking their first lead since the 6:27 mark in the first period (7-5). Westbrook drained a three-pointer to give the Tigers a 47-45 lead with 1:56 to go in the period.
The run came after South Dakota took a 44-36 lead with 6:09 to play in the quarter after Allison Arens knocked down a jumper.
Clemson trailed 35-31 at halftime, as Westbrook led the Tigers with 11 first-half points. Edwards had eight. Collier added five points.
The game was back-and-forth in the first 20 minutes. South Dakota led 19-15 after one period of play, while both teams scored 16 points each in the second period.
Clemson did use its defense to create offense. The Tigers generated 11 first half points off turnovers and had an 11-5 advantage in the opening half.
The Tigers forced 10 first half turnovers.
Clemson advances to Sunday’s second-round game in Starkville.