In overtime, No. 13 Duke took a 109-99 victory over eighth-ranked Oklahoma in the Ball Dawgs Classic in Nevada's Lee Family Forum.
Against a much taller Kansas State squad, Duke women's basketball more than made up for its lack of height with the type of tenacious play head coach Kara Lawson’s team’s are known for.
Both teams came into the matchup riding high off of dominant wins, but from the onset, it was clear that any team wanting to walk out of Lee’s Family Forum with the win would need to fight for it. And Monday afternoon, that team was Duke as the team stormed its way to an impressive and hard-fought 73-62 win over Kansas State.
After Duke’s huge defeat of Arizona on the road, the Blue Devils rose one spot to No. 11 in this week’s AP Poll. The Blue Zone breaks down the changes in both the men’s and women’s rankings.
The on-court chemistry was hard to miss along with the team’s paint dominance, high efficiency on the floor and a strong bench performance. At the heart of the Blue Devil’s tremendous victory was freshman Toby Fournier.
In only the second matchup ever between the two programs — and the first in Cameron Indoor — Duke continued to build positive momentum in an authoritative 79-47 win over Belmont. The Blue Devils limited the Bruins to 47 points on 33.3% from the field, and freshman Toby Fournier paced the offense with 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting.
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.
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.
The Blue Devils' effort against the Flyers underscored the development across their entire roster. With every eligible player returning this season, it’s even more evident how transformative the offseason can be for a player. Patience and confidence characterize this team, and as Wood steps into a larger role, she embodies that growth.
The Blue Devils, coming off a defeat to No. 11 Maryland in College Park Sunday, responded by dominating Dayton in a 84-49 victory Thursday evening in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
With every missed layup or free throw, the Blue Devils left the door open. Shooting just 53.8% from the line and converting only 20-of-42 layups, they fell behind in execution, compared to the Terrapins’ 79.2% free-throw rate. In a competitive road game, any shot could have been the difference-maker. But with missed chances mounting, the team ultimately watched Maryland secure a hard-fought victory.
With two games under its belt where Duke proved itself the fastest, toughest team on the court, the Blue Devils met their match in a high-powered offense that was firing on all cylinders in Maryland. The Blue Devils ended a two-game road trip in College Park, Md., coming out of Xfinity Arena with a 85-80 loss to the Terrapins Sunday afternoon.
The 83-67 win was a test for Duke of more than just confidence and poise, but also one of character and resilience as the Blue Devils faced their most difficult challenge of the season thus far. They showcased their depth by wearing down the opponents throughout the contest, with four double-digit scorers and 10 players getting meaningful minutes.
Duke certainly got rolling during its second matchup of the season, traveling to Liberty and coming out with the victory in a 83-67 defeat of the Flames.
If there were any question marks about the Duke defense at the start of the season, consider them answered. The Blue Devils forced consecutive turnovers on the Highlanders’ first three possessions and never let up from there, ending the outing with 34 in total. Duke started in a full-court press from the start of the game that did not let up until the buzzer sounded.
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.
Ahead of the start of the Blue Devils' season Monday, our beats are here with season predictions, players to watch and the biggest questions for this team.
After outperforming expectations during the last regular season and making an impressive run through to the Sweet 16, head coach Kara Lawson is ready to bring her now-veteran squad even further this time around.
Koabel and Fournier played together at the U19 FIBA World Championships in Paris in July 2021 and won a bronze medal, becoming just the second Canadian team to reach the podium in the tournament. In their first season together at Duke, Koabel and Fournier will take on the court with similarly high aspirations.
For the first time since she got here, Kara Lawson finally has everything she needs. The numbers say that this group is geared up to be the best team Lawson has coached since she came to Durham, and the media seems to agree.
