DULUTH, Ga. (theACC.com) – No. 9-seeded Clemson used a dominant fourth quarter to push past No. 8-seeded Virginia, 63-50, in Game 4 of the 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday, March 5, at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.
With the victory, Clemson (21-10) advances to the 2026 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals to face No. 1-seeded Duke on Friday, March 6, at 11 a.m. ET.
After being held to just two points in the opening half, Clemson’s Mia Moore finished with a game-high 19 points, four rebounds and three assists to lead the Tigers to the quarterfinals. Taylor Matthews-Johnson added 10 points and four rebounds for the Tigers.
Virginia opened the game with a strong defensive effort, blocking shots on each of the Tigers’ first three possessions. Clemson answered, however, with a 5-0 run to jumpstart the offense, finishing the quarter with a 15-14 advantage.
The Tigers outscored Virginia by one point again in the second quarter, 13-12, to carry a 28-26 advantage into the break. Neither team was able to extend its lead by more than five in the opening 20 minutes of basketball, which also featured seven lead changes and a pair of ties. Clemson shot 40 percent (6-of-15) from beyond the arc to lead the way. The Tigers also got 16 of their 28 points in the opening half off the bench, led by five points from Johnson-Matthews.
Trailing by seven in the third quarter, Virginia showed its defensive prowess and ripped off an 8-0 run to reclaim the lead while holding Clemson scoreless for four-and-a-half minutes. The Tigers closed the third period with a 6-0 run of their own to finish the frame with a 43-39 advantage. Moore led the Tigers with seven points in the quarter, going 3-of-4 from the floor.
The fourth quarter, however, was all in favor of the Tigers. Clemson outscored the Cavaliers 20-11 in the final frame, highlighted by connecting on 63.2 percent (12-of-19) of shots in the quarter. Moore once again paced the Tigers, scoring half of their points to pull away from the Hoos.
Virginia (19-11) was led by Paris Clark, who logged 15 points, and Kymora Johnson, who dropped in 12 points. Sa’myah Smith grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Hoos, who won the rebounding battle 39-35.
The Cavaliers shot just 32.8 percent (20-of-61) from the field throughout the game. Virginia’s shooting woes continued from beyond the 3-point line in the contest, connecting on just 21 percent (4-of-19) of long-range attempts.
Clemson’s win marked the fifth time in the last six years that the No. 9 seed has knocked off the No. 8 seed in the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, and the third consecutive season in which the upset has happened.