GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – The struggles through most of February are becoming more of a distant memory for the Clemson Tigers, who have picked an opportune time to piece together a bit of a winning streak.

Hannah Hank scored a game-high 19 points and Daisha Bradford added 15 as the 10th-seeded Tigers downed No. 15 seed Pitt, 71-53, as the opening session of the 46th annual Ally Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Tournament continued Wednesday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Clemson (17-14) moved on to face seventh-seeded North Carolina (20-9) in Thursday’s 6 p.m. second-round game. The Tar Heels won the regular-season meeting 69-58 when the teams met at Clemson on Jan. 29.

The UNC loss came during a midseason skid that saw the Tigers drop six of seven games to slip into the lower half of the ACC standings. But Clemson regrouped to win its final two regular-season games – including last Sunday’s 74-63 decision versus No. 23 Florida State – and carried the momentum into Wednesday’s tournament test against the Panthers.

Clemson, which took control by outscoring Pitt 19-4 in the second quarter, shot a solid 44 percent from 3-point range (11-for-25), led by Daisha Bradford’s 4-for-6 effort. The Tigers also scored 18 points off Panther turnovers as Bradford contributed four steals and a game-high six assists.

Amber Brown scored 16 points to lead Pitt (10-20), while Dayshanette Harris added 12 in 24 minutes off the bench. Pitt guard Liatu King led all rebounders with nine.

Wednesday marked the first time Clemson and Pitt have met in the ACC Tournament. The Tigers now hold a 10-9 edge in the overall series.

The Tigers are now 5-4 in ACC Tournament games under current head coach Amanda Butler.