Suddenly, things finally clicked.
Just three days after a heartbreaking loss to North Carolina in overtime, Duke’s offense continued to sputter early in a defensive battle of a first half against Virginia. The Blue Devils, however, came to life late in the third quarter, scoring on key opportunities off turnovers to come back from a double-digit deficit.
Duke emerged with a 60-55 victory over the Cavaliers in John Paul Jones Arena Sunday afternoon. Sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa sparked the Blue Devils’ resurgence with 17 points on 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and junior guard Ashlon Jackson contributed 11.
The offense finally caught fire in the fourth. Okananwa hit a fast-break layup early to make it a one-possession game for the first time since the early minutes and then got downhill for a lay-in to give Duke its first lead of the game. Kymora Johnson responded all on her own, driving to the bucket for a layup of her own and then finding Edessa Noyan under the basket.
Okananwa and Reigan Richardson tied the game with respective fast-break scores under six minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Junior guard Taina Mair struck from beyond the arc and forward Toby Fournier hit a long 2-point shot to cap off a 9-0 run and give the Blue Devils a 55-50 lead with four minutes to go in the contest, coming back from down 10 in the third quarter. Okananwa picked off a pass and then got into the lane for a lay-in to stretch the lead to seven, Duke’s largest of the afternoon.
Johnson connected on a prayer from three with two minutes remaining and Paris Clark broke away for a layup to cut the Blue Devil lead to two, but Mair put an end to the drama, draining a dagger 3-point shot to finish the comeback.
Virginia put on a defensive clinic early with a zone that challenged the Blue Devils on every possession, racking up seven blocks and forcing Duke into nine turnovers in the first half alone. Duke and Virginia traded turnovers before graduate point guard Vanessa de Jesus struck from behind the 3-point line, but Olivia McGhee gave the Blue Devils one right back with a 3-point shot of her own. The Duke defense remained stout despite a hot shooting half from the Cavaliers, forcing Virginia into consecutive turnovers that Jackson took advantage of for a midrange jumper. But Johnson had the last say in the half, scoring a jumper as the Blue Devils went to the locker room down 29-20.
The Blue Devils missed seven consecutive attempts in the opening minutes, struggling against a strong Cavalier zone that kept Duke out of the paint until Delaney Thomas broke through for a lay-in. Virginia continued to turn defense into offense with a block from Lattimore and a steal from McGhee; she dished the ball to Johnson for a lay-in on the other end. Okananwa drove to the rim to bring the Blue Devils back within one and then tied the game with a free throw on the following possession, but the Cavaliers converted on free throws to restore the 11-9 lead before the end of the first quarter.
Fournier returned to the bench just moments after entering the game early in the first quarter. The Canadian freshman phenom took a hard fall under the basket on her first shot attempt of the game but returned before the end of the first period and got the scoring started in the second quarter with a lay-in. Johnson responded, pulling up from deep to extend the Cavaliers’ lead.
Jackson opened the second half with a quick release from three to trim the Virginia lead to six. The Cavaliers pushed back with two free throws and a lay-in, but Richardson cashed in with an and-1 to give Duke the momentum back. Richardson then went coast-to-coast, bringing the Blue Devils within five, 35-30. Ball security would continue to haunt Duke early in the second half as Lattimore went to the line on consecutive possessions on fast-break opportunities, stretching the lead back to eight. The Blue Devils made a 6-0 run in the final minutes of the third to cut the lead to two and continued that momentum into a strong final quarter that was the difference maker in the contest.
The Blue Devils will return home Thursday at 8 p.m. for a contest against Cal.
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