Clemson Women Beat Radford 68-47
Clemson opened its season with a 68-47 win over Radford on November 2, 2026, improving to 1-0.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Basketball
Clemson women's basketball defeated Radford 68-47 on November 2, 2026, in its season opener. The teams were tied 27-27 at halftime before Clemson pulled ahead in the second half.
Why it matters
The win gives Clemson a 1-0 start to the season. The game also offers an early look at how the team performs in areas such as three-point shooting and rebounding.
Clemson shot 43.3 percent from the floor and 29.6 percent from three-point range, while Radford outscored Clemson 20-18 in the paint and both teams grabbed 18 rebounds. The extraction does not provide season-long comparisons for these figures.
The players
Mackenzie Nelson
Mackenzie Nelson is a guard for the Clemson women's basketball team who made the program's first basket of the game on a three-pointer.
Radford
Radford is a Big South Conference women's basketball program that was the visiting opponent in Clemson's season opener.
The details
Clemson took a 9-0 early lead and made its first basket on a three-pointer from guard Mackenzie Nelson. Clemson held Radford scoreless for the final nine minutes of the third quarter and forced five Radford turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Timeline
November 2, 2026: Clemson defeats Radford 68-47 in its season opener.
November 5, 2026, 7 p.m.: Clemson hosts ETSU.
Season Trajectory
The 68-47 season-opening win sets Clemson's 2026 record at 1-0 and gives an early marker for the team's competitive standing in the season's early games. Its impact on postseason positioning will depend on results in later games as the season continues.
Clemson's 1-0 start and its early three-point struggles, with 2 of 12 made in the first half, shape how fans and fantasy managers will read the team's early-season output. The next home game against ETSU on November 5 offers the next chance to see whether those shooting trends hold.
The takeaway
Clemson's season opener shows a team that built an early lead and managed its paint and rebounding battles, but its first-half three-point shooting leaves room to improve. Tracking whether those shooting numbers improve against ETSU will indicate whether the start was a sign of steady play.
What happens next
Clemson hosts ETSU on November 5, 2026, at 7 p.m.
Further reading
For more on the program's schedule and results, see Basketball coverage for Clemson.
