Danielle Edwards scored 17 second-half points to finish with 25 as No. 9 seed Clemson came back to defeat No. 8 South Dakota St. 79-66 in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament in Starkville, Miss.
Simone Westbrook added a game-high 27 points for the Lady Tigers, who will advance to play the winner of Friday night’s game between No. 1 seed Mississippi St. and the 16th-seeded Southern Jaguars.
Clemson trailed by four at intermission but outscored the Coyotes 20-13 in the third quarter to begin pulling away. Clemson was 9-21 from beyond the arc and hit 8-12 free throws.