Start your engines.
Local elementary schools packed into the bleachers in Cameron Indoor Stadium Monday, enthusiastic for the start of a new season of college basketball. The field trip was a success for the young fans as Duke conquered Radford to the sound of a 89-36 beatdown through double-digit scoring efforts by six individual Blue Devils.
“What I like about this group is that they really try to do what we're asking them and defensively, and three of the four quarters were at a very high level,” head coach Kara Lawson said after the game. “We got contributions from a lot of different players. I’m pleased by the six double figures. The balance was excellent.”
In the visiting squad’s final possession of the contest, a last-second shot attempt was met by a Jordan Wood rejection — a final play which is representative of the sophomore forward’s monstrous performance throughout the game. The Carmel Catholic product’s 45-point plus-minus and 13 total points led the team, and when Wood was on the floor, the Duke play just clicked.
Wood, averaging less than five minutes a game and recording 19 total points last season, looks to play a larger role in the 2024-2025 season. The Chicago native recorded seven points and a block with a flawless shooting percentage in the game’s first half alone.
“A great first game for Woody. She continues to grow and mature. She's made a big jump from her freshman year to her sophomore year,” Lawson said. “It's a credit to her, her character and her work that she put in this summer and this fall to really just crawl her way to improvement. She’s helping us on both ends of the floor.”
The energy was there from the beginning. After sophomore forward Delaney Thomas deflected the ball towards the sideline on the opening tipoff, sophomore guard Jadyn Donovan dove across the media tables in an attempt to give the Blue Devils the early possession. The Highlanders inbounded the ball, soon to have Thomas’ steal turn into a fast-break layup and two points the other way. Duke’s first bucket would set the tempo for the rest of the contest.
And the Blue Devils didn’t just run back down the court after they earned the early 2-0 lead; the team stayed in its offensive half, starting its full-court press from the match’s start. The press prompted a series of back and forth drives from Duke and Radford, resulting in the first points of the season for Taina Mair and Reigan Richardson, in addition to a 7-0 advantage for the Blue Devils.
Once Thomas checked out of the game, forwards Wood and Toby Fournier stepped in to take her place in the post. The duo ran pick-and-rolls for the remaining minutes of the first quarter, scoring or assisting on eight of the points in the first frame.
With the second quarter, Duke got its offense into a rhythm. Donovan’s pull-up jumpers started falling, and Fournier, Wood and Thomas continued to get points in the post. The push was enough to send the Blue Devils into the locker room up 40-24.
“I believe wholeheartedly in this: the score takes care of itself,” Lawson said. “If you're over and over, doing the right things, possession by possession, the score will take care of itself consistently.”
The healthy Blue Devil lead didn’t lead to complacency. Duke's foot stayed on the pedal for the third quarter as Donovan opened the second half with a clean rejection — a reminder that there were still 20 minutes of play left in the matchup. Soon Fournier was back to earning fast-break buckets, Lawson was back to commanding the full-court press and the tempo picked up once again.
As minutes passed in the third, the Highlanders started to feel the physical effects of playing for extended periods of time through Lawson’s pressure cooker of a press, and Radford’s offensive errors became more frequent. As an additional blow to the visiting team, it felt as if the Blue Devil offense had shifted into another gear for the second half of play, and the Highlanders quickly found themselves staring down the barrel of a 24-4 third-quarter run from Lawson’s squad.
But with aggressive defense comes fouling, and in college basketball, you’re only allowed five. With 20 seconds passed in the fourth, Fournier picked up her fifth foul, leaving Wood and Donovan alone to man the post. But the Blue Devils never let their guard down as the final frame winded down. Louann Battiston checked in to have a fresh set of legs guard at the top of the key and the Highlanders continued to have trouble scoring the basketball.
“If you're in the right place on defense, everything on offense will work out,” Wood said.
There wasn’t much Radford could do as it recorded only three made baskets in the game’s second half, and Duke pulled away to a healthy opening victory.
The Blue Devils look to continue that form as they travel to Lynchburg, Va., Thursday to take on Liberty.
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