Duke broke open a close game late in the first half and held on for a 70-58 win over Georgia Tech in the ACC Women’s Tournament Thursday to advance to a rubber-match semifinal match against NC State tomorrow afternoon.
Tech led early at 4-2 and 8-6. After an 11-1 Duke run fueled by five points by freshman Oluchi Okananwa, Duke took a 17-8 lead into the second period.
The Yellow Jackets caught up with 3-pointers by Kara Dunn and Toni Morgan and it was tied at 20-20.
Duke regrouped. Ashlon Jackson hit a 3, then a layup in transition, then another 3 and it was 28-20.
Jadyn Donovan scored inside for Duke and it was 30-20.
The half ended with Duke up 38-26.
Duke scored 15 points from beyond the arc in the first half, a modest 16 in the paint. Despite a five-inch height advantage over Georgia Tech’s tallest starter, Duke’s Kennedy Brown only scored two points in the opening half.
This all changed in the second half. Lawson said Duke talked about getting the ball inside during timeouts not during intermission.
But something sure changed. Brown scored inside for 40-29, again for 42-31, again for 44-31, again for 48-36, four layups in 4:20.
Donovan had the other two points, also on a layup.
“We couldn’t keep them from scoring in the paint,” Tech coach Nell Fortner acknowledged. “They’re pretty big and we’re not as big. They can shoot over us. They got inside up and had some nice, dump passes.”
“We felt like we missed them [post players] a few times in the first half,” Lawson said. “We felt like one-on-one in the paint that Kennedy and Camilla [Emsbo] both would have some advantages.”
Brown’s thoughts?
“I was able to get good early position. That’s something I’ve tried to get inside and be aggressive when I get those one-on-ones.”
But Tech kept hanging around, largely because they kept going to the foul line.
As a general rule the team that leads most of the game shoots more foul shots than the team that trails most of the game. As a general rule the team that dominates the interior shoots more foul shots than the team dominated.
So much for general rules. Trailing 62-47 Tech made a mini-run to cut to 62-53, four of those six points coming on Tonie Morgan foul shots.
And Morgan is a handful when she turns the corner and gets downhill.
But Tech shot 25 foul shots to Duke’s five. Fortunately they missed 10. Morgan was 10 for 14, her teammates 5 for 11.
Jackson said this was “just us being undisciplined.”
Lawson added that she thought her young team was a “little hyped up and when we got opportunities to challenge shots we just were so-excited, we tried to make a play and we were too much. I’m hopeful the second game we can manage that a little bit more.”
It should be noted that Okananwa was huge in the clutch, an offensive rebound ending that 6-0 Tech run and making it 64-53, a layup to make it 66-53, another making it 68-55, then a short jumper to make it a 70-58 final.
Yes, she scored Duke’s last eight points.
“She is one elite athlete,” Fortner said. “It’s hard to get her under control. She’s a tough guard.”
Okananwa led Duke with 15 points, one more than Brown. Jackson scored all 11 of her points in the first half. Donovan added 10 points.
Taina Mair never found her shot (1-7). But she had seven assists against only two turnovers.
Donovan and Brown each had eight rebounds, as Duke won the battle of the boards 42-27 and points in the paint 46-26.
Backup big Emsbo had perhaps her best game at Duke, nine points, six rebounds.
Morgan led everyone with 19 points.
Lawson added that not fouling and reducing the 19 turnovers will be keys to beating State tomorrow.
She also added that Delaney Thomas (DNP) and Emma Koabel (1:36 of PT) are banged up but should be ready to go tomorrow.
Duke is now 20-10. They’ll tip-off with State tomorrow at 5.
Great start in the tourney .... I was there and can say that if you are on hand to watch this team, you'll be impressed by their hard work and tenacity. Some of that results in turnovers, but the major effort they bring is the reason they have wins this year over State, Va Tech, Syracuse. I still go back to the Stanford game and marvel at their determination. Now we gotta get past the Pack on Friday, then head into the weekend. I like our chances -- even if we come up shy of the finish line, I can't wait for next season when we hit the floor with this group, and those incoming Freshmen ....