Clemson, S.C. – Le'Jzae Davidson finished with a game-high 18 points, while Tierra Hodges added a double-double, as the Furman women's basketball team opened its 2019-20 season with a 77-71 loss to the Clemson Tigers on Wednesday evening at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Furman falls to 0-1 on the season while Clemson improves to 1-0 overall.

Davidson led four Paladins in double-figures with 18 points and was joined by Taylor Petty (16), Milica Manojlovic (12) and Hodges (11). Hodges compiled a double-double after leading all players with a game-high 13 rebounds. Manojlovic and Hodges both dished out a team-high three assists.

Kendall Spray and Amari Robinson both scored a team-high 16 points to lead the Tigers offensively while Kobi Thornton added 15. Thornton, Robinson and Mikayla Hayes each pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Spray also dished out six assists.

Spray connected on a pair of 3-pointers less than one minute into the contest to give Clemson an early 6-0 lead. Furman got as close as four points twice over the course of one minute and trailed 11-7 with seven minutes left on a layup by Celena Taborn. The Tigers pushed their lead out to eight points at the 5:35 mark when Tylar Bennett's layup put the score at 17-9. The Paladins held Clemson scoreless the remainder of the quarter and finished on a 5-0 run. Manojlovic's 3-pointer with two seconds remaining put the score at 17-14.

Furman opened the second quarter scoring three of the first five points and trailed 19-17 with 8:55 to go on Taborn's layup. The Tigers answered with a 12-3 run that covered 3:44 and pushed their lead out to 11 points, 31-20, at the 5:08 mark. Clemson was ahead by double-figures for the final 4:22 of the quarter and led by as many as 17 points, 44-27, with 1:12 remaining on a layup by Thornton. The Paladins scored the final five points of the half on a layup from Grace van Rij and Davidson's 3-pointer. The triple by Davidson as time expired sent Furman into halftime trailing 44-32.

The Paladins managed to cut their deficit down to eight, 46-38, less than two minutes into the third quarter courtesy of a 6-2 run capped by Davidson's 3-pointer. The Tigers' largest lead of the quarter came at 52-38 with 7:18 left on Robinson's layup. Furman got as close as eight points twice during the final three minutes beginning at 53-45 with 2:48 left on Sutton West's layup. Petty put the margin back at eight points with 44 seconds to go when her layup made the score 55-47. Spray's 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining gave Clemson a 58-47 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The Paladins outscored the Tigers 24-19 in the fourth quarter. Clemson began the period with a 6-1 run and took a 64-48 lead with 6:58 left on Bennett's layup. The Tigers led by double-digits for the next 6:53 as Furman got as close as 10 points during that stretch, 71-61, on Petty's layup. The Paladins stepped up the pressure defensively during the final one minute of play, outscoring Clemson 10-2. Davidson and Petty combined for eight points within a 30-second stretch and benefitted from a Tiger technical foul. The duo made 3-of-4 free throws as Furman trailed 75-69 with 34 seconds left. Shania Meertens was successful on two free throws to put the Clemson lead back at eight, 77-69. Hodges' rebound and layup as time expired made the final score 77-71.

The Paladins concluded the game shooting 34.8 percent (24-of-69) from the field. Furman held a 20-10 advantage in second chance points and 11-5 in fast break points. The Paladins also outrebounded the Tigers 45-34.

Furman is back in action on Sunday, November 10 when it hosts Georgia Southern in its home opener at 6 p.m.