It was a journey into the unknown for Duke as it traveled to play South Dakota State in the first ever matchup between the two programs.
Coming off of a dominant 84-49 win against Dayton, it seemed as though the Blue Devils had managed to light their offensive fire, but the Jackrabbits doused those flames and made Duke’s first-ever outing in South Dakota a tight defensive matchup.
The Blue Devils (4-1) finally began to pull away from the Jackrabbits (3-1) in the fourth quarter. With about five minutes left in the fourth, Duke went on a 7-0 run to take a 66-59 lead. South Dakota State’s offensive streak finally ended, and the Blue Devils were able to resume their domineering presence.
It came down to free throws in the closing seconds of the game. With South Dakota State desperate to get the ball back in its hands, it turned to fouling, but the Blue Devils rose to the occasion. With the cool expected of a graduate student, Vanessa de Jesus made four of her six free throws in the last minute of the game to lengthen Duke’s lead. The Jackrabbits’ hopes of regrouping and making a quick comeback were cut when junior Ashlon Jackson made both of her free throws as time ran out, giving the Blue Devils the 75-71 win.
Though she had a quiet first three quarters, senior Reigan Richardson got hot exactly when Duke needed her to, aiding in her team’s narrow victory. Though she did not have the highest scoring night, Richardson’s veteran presence grounded Duke’s offensive efforts and brought the vocal leadership necessary to survive the road test.
Jackson and sophomore Jadyn Donovan provided the scoring element that Richardson did not, shining offensively and scoring more than half of Duke’s 76 points.
Following the Dayton game, where she only scored two points, Donovan clearly traveled to South Dakota with the intent of bringing back her offensive spark, and she did just that against the Jackrabbits, earning a new career high in points and leading her team with 15 rebounds.
Although Duke led 38-30 at the half, it was a hard-earned lead; the Jackrabbits never let the Blue Devils feel comfortable in the game. Every time Duke built up a lead, South Dakota State clawed back. Led by junior Brooklyn Meyer — the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year — South Dakota State returned Duke’s high pressure defense with its own. In addition to playing lights-out defense, Meyer shot an impressive 9-for-13 from the field and led her team in scoring.
In the second half, Meyer continued to show how much of a problem she was for the Blue Devils, who seemed unable to stop her productivity in the paint. The Larchwood, Iowa, native immediately scored the first points of the second half and seemingly set off an offensive spark for her teammates, Madison Mathiowetz and Haleigh Timmer, who made back-to-back 3-pointers early on in the third quarter.
As shot after shot fell for the Jackrabbits, they went on a 7-0 run, tying up the game at 50 in the closing minutes of the quarter. South Dakota State managed to break Duke’s press and completely disrupt its offensive rhythm, not allowing the Blue Devils to play at the break-neck pace they are used to while also forcing costly turnovers.
The Jackrabbits refused to go down quietly, and both teams traded back-and-forth leads for much of the second half. Head coach Kara Lawson’s squad was forced to search for new looks on offense as they tried to halt Meyer and South Dakota State’s offensive groove.
Both teams kept the game fast paced from the opening tip, matching each other in energy and speed. Duke is used to forcing a stifling defense on its opponents and breaking their offensive rhythm. Against South Dakota State, the Blue Devils got a taste of their own medicine.
The Jackrabbits did not allow Duke to build an offensive rhythm or search for open looks, forcing the Blue Devils to score 40 of their 75 points in the paint. Though Duke jumped out to put defensive pressure on South Dakota State, the Jackrabbits broke Duke’s press, maneuvering around the Blue Devils with ease.
It was immediately obvious that South Dakota planned to make Duke work for the win just as Lawson had hoped. With many of their first looks off the mark, the Blue Devils relied on offensive rebounds and second-chance points to carry them to victory.
Duke now returns to the familiarity of Cameron Indoor Stadium for a Thursday evening matchup against Belmont.
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