Can you say statement win?
The Duke women’s basketball team used a stifling defense and an opportunistic offense to defeat sixth-ranked NC State 69-58 Sunday afternoon.
Duke never trailed, led by as much as 22 and answered every time a State run put some real game pressure on.
The win runs Duke’s record to 18-9, 10-6 ACC and guarantees a winning record in the ACC. It’s also Duke’s second straight win over a ranked team, 17th-ranked Syracuse falling Thursday night.
State drops to 23-5 and 11-5.
You may recall that State handled Duke pretty easily early in the season in Reynolds. The final was 72-57 but it wasn’t that close. It was 59-38 after three.
Kennedy Brown (15 points, six rebounds) said Duke prioritized getting off to a good start.
“That’s something we talked about wanting to do in preparation this week is taking the first punch. We weren’t going to come out relaxed and let them go on a run. It was important for us to start fast and physical.”
Reigan Richardson scored the game’s first four points, then Brown and it was 6-0. After an Aziaha James jumper Duke scored the next five points and it was 11-2, after only five minutes.
State missed seven of their first eight shots and turned it over four times before getting to four points.
“Duke came in ready to play from the tip,” State coach Wes Moore Moore acknowledged. “They make it really hard for you to operate on offense.”
“I thought we were much more locked in defensively than we were in the first game,” Lawson said. “I hoped we would be sharper, more disciplined. I thought we were to start and executed our actions.”
Duke led 13-8 after one, a nice lead but hardly decisive against a team as talented as State.
But Duke’s defense just continued to control the game. Emma Koabel came off the bench and gave Duke six points in the second period and Ashlon Jackson knocked down a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to put Duke up 35-19 at the half.
State only had one assist at the half-six made field goals. Moore said his team played with blinders on, not seeing open teammates.
But there weren’t many open teammates. River Baldwin’s work on the offensive boards was about the only thing State had going on offense. She had five offensive rebounds and nine points at the half.
Of course five of those first-half points came from the line, with one miss. Through three quarters State had attempted 12 free throws, while Duke hadn’t been to the line.
Brown and Baldwin had an interesting match-within-the-match. Baldwin ended up shooting 4 for 12 from the field and Brown guarded her one-on-one most of the game, which enabled Duke to guard State’s shooters.
Brown praised Duke’s coaches for preparing a plan that allowed her to know Baldwin’s tendencies, indeed “anticipating their moves before they made them.”
Duke extended its lead to 43-21. But Duke lost James twice and she knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and it was 43-30, with four minutes left in the third.
Lawson was pleased with the response of her young team.
“They’re growing up right before our eyes in the midst of a very challenging schedule. You knew they were going to make a run and they made a couple at us. I thought we handled it pretty well by getting stops when we needed them.”
At 43-30 Ashlon Jackson made two great assists for layups, first Jadyn Donovan, then Brown and the lead was back to 17.
State hung tough, cutting a 52-32 Duke lead to 52-37 after three, then 58-47, then 58-49.
But Taina Mair refused to let it get any closer.
She got a three-point play with 2:02 left to make it 61-49; Duke’s first foul shot. Then Jackson made two freebies, then Mair two more and the mini-crisis was averted.
“I thought Mair late made big-time plays,” Lawson said. “With the ball in her hands she was steady late.”
Mair ended up leading everyone with 20 points. Richardson and Brown each had 15, 50 of Duke’s 69 points from three players. But Donovan had six rebounds and three steals, Jackson four assists and only one turnover.
Speaking of turnovers, Duke only had 10, five in each half, while shooting 47 percent from the field. And 100 percent from the line, 7 for 7, all in the final 2:02.
James led State with 15 points, one more than Baldwin, two more than Saniya Rivers.
Virginia next, Thursday night, Duke’s home finale. Then on the Chapel Hill to end the regular season.
Great wins over Syracuse & State this week ... Coach Kara is getting it done with this young group of Blue Devil Girls. It's great to see the turnovers go down in number, and equally great that they fought off furious comeback attempts of these Top 20 teams in the second half. At times this team plays strangling defense. It'll be interesting to see how far they can go in the ACCT and the NCAA's.
I''m thinking that if the main parts all return for the 2024-2025 season and the recruited girls keep their commitment this is going to be a solid Top Ten squad. Donovan is a real force on the court with her rebounding and defense every game -- and if she can work on her shot (expecially FT's) she will increase her skill set and become a scorer next season. The next three plus weeks are going to be great to watch, as this group improves game by game ..... Go Duke !
Another building block win!