GREENVILLE, S.C. (Interstat) — The Clemson women’s basketball team delivered a commanding performance from the opening tip, overwhelming SMU 83-54 in a nonconference matchup Thursday night at the Bi-Lo Center.

The Lady Tigers, improving to 15-7 overall, established dominance early with a 25-point first quarter and never looked back, leading wire-to-wire against a Mustangs squad that fell to 8-14. The game was organized by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Clemson’s offensive execution was sharp and balanced, but it was a blistering stretch in the third quarter that effectively sealed the victory. Leading 43-31 at halftime, the Lady Tigers erupted with a 25-point third frame, fueled by a remarkable shooting display from guard Rusne Augustinaite. The junior from Lithuania scored 12 of her game-high 21 points in the period, including a personal 9-0 run comprised of three consecutive three-pointers in a span of just 71 seconds. That explosive sequence stretched a 50-40 lead to 59-40 and silenced any notion of an SMU comeback.

Augustinaite’s outburst was the defining stretch of the contest, highlighting a night where she shot 8 of 16 from the field, including 5 of 11 from beyond the arc. She was complemented by the backcourt duo of Mia Moore and Rachael Rose, who each added 15 points. Moore, a guard from Alpharetta, Georgia, filled the stat sheet with six assists, a block and a steal in 27 minutes, while Rose from Scranton, Pennsylvania, chipped in three assists.

SMU, struggling to find consistent offense against Clemson’s defensive pressure, was led by the efforts of Anaya Brown and Zahra King. Brown, a 6-foot-1 forward from Lexington, Kentucky, battled for 18 points and two assists in 37 minutes. King, a guard from Brooklyn, New York, added 17 points. Sahnya Jah of Alexandria, Virginia, was the only other Mustang in double figures with 10 points.

The Lady Tigers set the tone immediately, opening the game on a 13-3 run. SMU’s Zahra King hit an early three-pointer, but Clemson responded with scores from Augustinaite, Moore and Rose to build a double-digit lead less than five minutes into the game. The Mustangs showed brief resistance, closing the first quarter on a 7-2 spurt to trail 25-18, but could not sustain the momentum.

Clemson’s defense was a constant factor, forcing 15 SMU turnovers and blocking seven shots. Hadley Periman, a 6-foot-2 forward from Tuttle, Oklahoma, anchored the paint with three blocks and seven rebounds. The Lady Tigers also controlled the glass, outrebounding SMU 45-34, with 15 of those boards coming on the offensive end leading to 19 second-chance points.

The Mustangs, who have now lost three straight and six of their last seven, shot just 32 percent from the field for the game. Their offensive struggles were most pronounced in the second and third quarters, where they managed only 24 combined points as Clemson built an insurmountable 68-42 lead entering the final period.

Clemson, which entered the game as a heavy favorite with a 93.2 percent win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, efficiently took care of business. The Lady Tigers shot 46 percent from the field and dished out 18 assists on 32 made baskets, showcasing a fluid offensive system that SMU had no answer for.

The game was played before an announced crowd of 927 at the Bi-Lo Center. SMU will look to regroup before returning to conference play, hosting Wake Forest next Thursday. Clemson continues its homestand, preparing to face Florida State on Sunday in a return to ACC competition.