Preview: Boston College at Clemson in Women’s Basketball

GREENVILLE, S.C. (Interstat) — The Clemson Lady Tigers, seeking to rebound from a defensive struggle, will host the struggling Boston College Eagles in an Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball game Sunday at Bi-Lo Center.

Clemson (16-8) enters the matchup after a 53-44 road loss at North Carolina on Thursday, a game where its offense stalled. The Lady Tigers had previously won three straight, including a 77-58 victory over Florida State.

Boston College (4-21) aims to halt a 10-game losing streak, most recently a 93-59 home loss to Syracuse. The Eagles’ last win was a 61-60 victory over Pittsburgh on Jan. 4.

A key matchup will feature two of the conference’s backcourt standouts. Clemson is led by guard Rusne Augustinaite, who scored 15 points in the loss to North Carolina and had 21 points in a win over SMU on Jan. 29. She averages 14.2 points in her last six games.

For Boston College, guard Lily Carmody has been a bright spot during the skid. She is coming off a 15-point performance against Syracuse and scored 19 points at Georgia Tech on Feb. 1. She leads the Eagles in scoring in ACC play.

Clemson won the season’s first meeting 81-65 in Chestnut Hill on Dec. 8, led by 22 points from Augustinaite. Carmody scored 17 for the Eagles in that contest.

The Lady Tigers’ defense, which allows just 61.2 points per game, will look to contain Carmody and force turnovers against an Eagles squad averaging 18 per game in conference play. Clemson’s offense will seek to rediscover its rhythm after shooting just 27.9% from the field at North Carolina.

Boston College, which allows a conference-worst 86.2 points per game in ACC play, must find a way to slow Augustinaite and improve its perimeter defense to have a chance on the road.

The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. EST tip-off. Clemson’s next game is at home against Georgia Tech on Thursday. Boston College travels to face Florida State on Thursday.