Watch: Late 3-pointer gives Clemson WBB signature win vs. No. 9 Duke
The Clemson women’s basketball team ended its home schedule with a bang.
Junior guard Hannah Kohn hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining to lift the Tigers over No. 9 Duke, 53-51, and further position Clemson for an NCAA Tournament bid in coach Shawn Poppie’s second season.
Clemson’s win at Littlejohn Coliseum Sunday in its home finale and senior day also snapped Duke’s 17-game winning streak and perfect season in ACC play.
Coach Kara Lawson’s Blue Devils entered the game 15-0 in conference play and hadn’t lost a game since Dec. 4 vs. LSU.
It was Clemson’s first win against an AP Top 10 team since beating No. 7 Virginia Tech in 2022. The Tigers — who entered the weekend as one of the last four teams in the 68-team field per ESPN’s bracketology — improved to 19-9 and 10-6 in the ACC and scored a crucial Quad 1 win that could lift them off the NCAA bubble.
Sunday’s win also gave Clemson double-digit wins in ACC play, something they hadn’t accomplished in 25 years, and was the Tigers’ first ranked win of the year.
Clemson trailed Duke 40-30 with nine minutes left in the game. The Blue Devils had a 97.3% chance of winning the game at that point, per ESPN analytics, but the Tigers staged a late comeback.
Clemson led Duke 50-48 with 13.3 seconds left before Blue Devils guard Riley Nelson made a corner three and put her team up 51-50. With 9.3 seconds left, Poppie and Clemson drew up a play for Kohn, who comes off the bench and zero points on 0-4 3-point shooting before her game-winning shot.
Clemson guard Mia Moore drove downhill before stopping, turning and finding Kohn at the top of the key for a go-ahead shot from deep. Duke failed to get a shot off on its final possession, sending a crowd of 3,218 into hysterics.
Clemson closes the regular season with a two-game West Coast swing against Cal next Thursday and Stanford next Sunday before traveling back home for the 2026 ACC women’s basketball tournament, which starts March 4 in Duluth, Ga.
NCAA Selection Sunday for men’s and women’s basketball teams is Sunday, March 15, with games starting the following week. Clemson is trying to make its first NCAA Tournament since 2019 and only its second in the last 24 years.
This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 4:22 PM.
