CLEMSON, S.C. – Junior Carly Rivera hit the go-ahead three with 21.5 seconds remaining and the Columbia women's basketball team rallied back from 14 points down in the second half to defeat Clemson, 82-78, Sunday afternoon at Littejohn Coliseum.
Columbia (3-0) outscored Clemson (1-1) 22-9 in the fourth quarter to earn the program's second win against an ACC opponent. The Tigers built a 14-point lead thanks to being sent to the free throw line 29 times in the first half.
After chipping the margin down to seven early in the fourth quarter, the Lions used a 10-0 run to regain control. Junior transfer Jaida Patrick's jumper with 5:18 left gave the Lions their first lead since the opening seconds of the second quarter.
The two sides traded the lead four times in the final few minutes, but it was Rivera who delivered the game-winning shot. Trailing by one with under 30 seconds left, Rivera spotted up from the corner and nailed her only trifecta of the game to put the Lions back in front for good.
"I knew that was the shot my team needed me to take and whatever I can do to help this team win I'm going to do no matter what it is," Rivera said. "I just knew when I got the ball that everybody's been telling me to shoot … and if I didn't make it then we had four people there for the rebound."
Clemson never saw the lead again. Rivera was sent to the line three times in the final seconds to cement away the victory.
Columbia (3-0) was led by junior Sienna Durr's team-high 19 points, 10 of which helped the Lions build a nine-point first-quarter lead. Sophomore Abbey Hsu, who got into some foul trouble in the first half, finished with 18 points and was big for the Lions down the stretch. First-year Kitty Henderson completed a trio of Lions in double figures with 16 off the bench.
"This is a total program win," Columbia head coach Megan Griffith said. "Hats off to our players for executing in the second half … We've got some ballers. [Hsu and Davis] knew that if they stuck to the game plan, they were solid, they trusted the help from their teammates, we would accomplish what we wanted to today."
The Lions doubled up Clemson 16-8 in the early going with the help of 10 quick points from Durr. Clemson found its groove to pull within two by the end of the quarter.
The home side took its first lead of the afternoon at the 7:45 mark of the second on two of its 20 free throw attempts it was awarded during the period. The Tigers were sent to the line 29 times in the first half and used it to their advantage, going on a 12-0 run to take a 14-point lead. They held that same cushion at the break.
Hsu and Noa Comesaña helped Columbia settle back in with some early third-quarter buckets. A 7-0 burst ignited by a Hsu trey cut the lead in half. Hsu nailed a highlight worthy stepback from right in front of the Columbia bench at the 5:03 mark to cut it to five.
Clemson answered with the next four and went back in front by double digits on Delicia Washington's free throws with 2:53 left in the period. The Lions chipped it back down to four but the Tigers scored the last five points of the quarter to take a 69-60 lead into the fourth.
Just as they did Friday night at Davidson, Columbia answered the bell over the final 10 minutes. Hannah Pratt capped a 10-0 run over a span of four minutes to turn a seven-point Clemson lead into a 74-71 advantage for the Lions. Rivera went on to play the role of hero with her game-winner in the final seconds.
Columbia flies home and will prepare for another road game on Thursday at Lafayette College. Tip-off against the Leopards is set for 7 p.m. ET.
For the latest on the Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
