Shawn Poppie, Clemson Women’s Basketball Nears NCAA Lock With Electrifying Ranked Win

A charged-up Littlejohn Coliseum saw Clemson women’s basketball upset No. 9 Duke in its final home game of the season, winning 53-51.

Head coach Shawn Poppie has turned this program around in just two seasons, earning his first top 10 win in his Clemson career. It’s a win that will now make the Tigers essentially a lock for the NCAA Tournament this season.

For a team that’s been probing around the bubble for the entire season, Poppie’s group finally breaks through, being the first time that Clemson will most likely head to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

The win wouldn’t have been without a fired-up home crowd, who remained in it through all 40 minutes that saw events like a $37,500 putt being sunk and plenty of other festivities.

“They were loud and played a huge part in us getting over the hump. I think our kids fed off it, especially defensively,” Poppie said after the game. “It was loud, so very, very appreciated for those that came today.”

On a day when the senior class was being honored, the group’s final game at home will be the biggest win that any of them has had in a Clemson uniform. Late-game heroics sealed the deal, with a three from Hannah Kohn with three seconds remaining being the go-ahead bucket.

Despite Clemson going down 20-8 in the first quarter, with tremendous momentum going in the Blue Devils' direction. After that quarter, the Tigers outscored the Blue Devils 45-31 while forcing 17 turnovers to 12 opposing assists. The team never quit, which Poppie applauded after the game.

“When you look in their eyes when you’re down 20-8, there was no defeat,” he said. “Like, ‘We’re fine, right? Like, not where we want to be, but we’re going to continue to compete and fight. ’ And I felt that was from start to finish.

In her final game, playing in her own school’s gym, Mia Moore’s defense put the game close. She finished with three steals, including two in the final quarter, to help lead her team to perhaps the biggest victory of her collegiate career. One of her six assists help feed Kohn for the go-ahead triple as well.

Going into crunch time, she shared a look with her head coach, one she has a strong connection with, and spoke about it after the win.

“He was like, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, as we got it,’ and he gave me that push. I just have to look him in the eye, and I know it’s go time. So, just like I said, doing whatever I can to make sure we secure the win.”

This was a Duke team that came into Littlejohn Coliseum on Sunday afternoon undefeated in ACC play. When the clock struck zero, a new number one was put next to its name.

Poppie became locked into the program with an extension earlier in the month, adding a five-year extension to his tenure at Clemson. On top of an incoming recruiting class that is ranked No. 6 in the country, the best might be yet to come for the program.

But the work’s not done yet, it’s strictly “one of them stamps” on it, as Poppie puts it.

“We’re trying to build a program, and to get a big win like this at home, I think just goes to show all the hard work behind the scenes, the kind of people we have in this locker room, in this building that we’re going to make Clemson women’s basketball special,” he said.

Clemson will look to boost its resume even more with a trip to the West Coast next week before heading to the ACC Tournament to begin the month of March.