With half a minute remaining in the game’s third quarter, sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa intercepted a Wake Forest pass before driving the length of the court, getting fouled on a fast break layup, and knocking down both free throws. The Boston native handed the Demon Deacons their 27th turnover of the game and extended the Blue Devil lead to 46-28. By the third quarter’s close, Duke’s ACC host’s points just about matched their turnovers and still the Blue Devils were only up by 18.
And head coach Kara Lawson’s team didn’t have the most ideal start to their 72-47 win at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum; after the game was delayed over half an hour past its scheduled start time due to a facilities malfunction, Duke finished the first quarter of play down a point to a Wake Forest team that was 1-12 in conference play. But the Blue Devils wouldn’t trail for long as a defensive spark built momentum for Duke throughout the second frame and allowed the team to enter the halftime break up double digits.
“No matter what's happening offensively, these guys battle,” Lawson said. They continue to play hard on that end, and are able to hold teams down enough until our offense gets going.”
Once the Blue Devils earned their sizable margin, they would only let their lead flourish to the game’s end, continuing to extend their lead through turnovers converted to fast-break layups. While Duke’s 3-of-9 night from beyond the arc indicated perimeter warfare wasn’t clicking for the Blue Devils, it didn’t seem to matter: Duke’s size advantage consistently earned Lawson’s squad reliable scoring opportunities in the post. Indeed, freshman forward Toby Fournier earned 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, and sophomore Jadyn Donovan buried eight points worth of close-range shots of her own.
“We drove in [the paint] a lot, and it wasn't taken away,” Lawson said. “As long as we can get that, we're not going to just stand out there and shoot threes if we can get to the paint and get layups.”
Duke found that its suffocating press only forced Wake Forest to continue to turn the ball over, and Lawson’s defensive schemes eliminated any opportunities to come back for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest had a significantly decreased chance of getting its offense settled once the Lawson press commenced and continued to panic down the court.
“You start to see the shot clock violations that we get. I believe a lot of that is the watering down of the shot clock 8-10 seconds, and then they get into their offense late and are up against [the shot clock],” Lawson said.
Albeit against the least successful team in conference play, the Blue Devils demonstrated what they do best as they ruined any and all offensive plans for the Demon Deacons. Duke certainly didn’t have a record-breaking night on the offensive end, but it felt that as the team settled into the later portions of the matchup, Lawson’s team could impose its will on its hosts.
The performance showcased the defensive end of what a Duke team firing at full throttle looks like. Okananwa continued her urgent style of play, flying around on defense to earn fast-break opportunities and forced turnovers. Delaney Thomas and Donovan earned seven combined steals of their own, and it felt that every other Wake Forest possession would result in an offensive foul which would hand the ball back to the Blue Devils.
“I think we had four or five [drawn charges] tonight. I was proud of our team for standing in there and taking them. It takes some courage to do that,” Lawson said. “That's four or five turnovers for [Wake Forest], and it also adds to the opposing players foul count, which is helpful too.”
Fournier led the team in scoring with 17 points, but holistically, Duke’s offense has seen better days. As the Blue Devils prepare to make their trip up to South Bend, Ind., to take on No. 2 Notre Dame, they have shown that they know what needs to be done defensively to pull off the upset. The question remains whether Duke’s offense will reach its full potential while the team maintains its defensive form.
“We're not satisfied,” Lawson said.
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