To boldly go where no Duke team has gone before.
The Blue Devils took on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits for the first time in program history Sunday, traveling to Brookings, S.D.
“Our players know that [South Dakota State is] good, and they know we have to go on the road to a place that most Power 4 [teams] never go,” Duke head coach Kara Lawson said ahead of the matchup. “They know that we're taking them into a place that is a challenge to win, no matter what your school is.”
And a challenge, it was. The Blue Devils emerged with a 75-71 victory after a hard-fought, physical matchup. The Jackrabbits proved a worthy opponent after Duke pulled away to a 38-30 halftime lead, fighting back to tie the game and raise the blood pressure of Blue Devil fans everywhere.
Raised blood pressure this early in the season might not be the best for fans, but for Lawson’s team, it’s ideal.
“We scheduled [this game], because we felt like this would be a team that would challenge us,” Lawson said. “We knew that we might lose this game. We knew that we would have to play our best to come and take it.”
Sophomore forward Jadyn Donovan certainly took the challenge head-on. The Upper Marlboro, Md., native tied a career high with 15 rebounds — including five on the offensive end of the floor — and set personal records outright with 23 points scored and 36 minutes played.
Donovan’s development is going to be one of the bellwethers of Duke’s performance this season, and these tough minutes early will undoubtedly set her up well for a strong campaign in a tough ACC.
Donovan wasn’t the only standout for the Blue Devils Sunday. Guards Ashlon Jackson and Vanessa de Jesus brought steadiness to the backcourt around her, scoring 18 and 13 points, respectively.
“I thought Ashlon steadied us in that first half while we had some foul trouble,” Lawson said. “I thought de Jesus made some big shots and big free throws. We had contributions all up and down the roster, but I thought those two guards in particular gave Jadyn the support that she needed on the offensive end.”
South Dakota State is one of the few non-power conference teams to receive votes in the most recent AP poll, slotting in as the No. 33 team in the country. The Blue Devils will face off against at least six of the current top 25 teams over the course of the season, and will face Miami, another vote-getter. These foes will certainly have tough environments, something Lawson is hoping to get her team acclimated to early in the season.
“It was a great trip for us to see this type of environment that’s created here, the energy and support for the women’s basketball team,” Lawson said. “I think our players really enjoyed playing against this team and in this arena.”
Duke lost a similar game a week prior against a strong Maryland side, falling 85-80 in another fourth-quarter game. Scheduling these close matchups has been a focus for Lawson and her staff.
“We want to play good games, I don't want to blow people out by 60,” Lawson said last week. “Nobody wants to blow anybody out by 60. What's that do for you?”
Well, mission accomplished. These two games against Maryland and South Dakota State have undoubtedly provided Duke with more tight-game experience than many teams in the country, and they’re just getting started. Next week, the Blue Devils travel to Henderson, Nev., to play No. 10 Kansas State — and possibly No. 9 Oklahoma — in the Ball Dawgs Classic. To open December, Duke travels to arguably the toughest environment in the country to take on defending champions South Carolina.
“For us in the nonconference, we want to have to play our best so that when we get to conference play we’re prepared and we know what we have inside of us and we know how to win,” Lawson said. “That’s what we are hoping to get out of our nonconference, and I think today we learned a lot about ourselves.”
Up next, the Blue Devils have another opportunity to learn and grow, welcoming Belmont to Cameron Indoor Thursday.
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