SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Beats' picks: Will Duke women's basketball take rematch against Richmond to open NCAA tournament?

By Ryan Hamner , Elle Chavis , Colton Schwabe , Franck Djidjeu , Riya Khatod , Caleb Dudley , Garrett Spooner and Martin Heintzelman | March 22, 2024

No. 7-seed Duke takes the floor against Richmond for the second time this season Friday to open its NCAA tournament journey. The Chronicle’s beat writers are here with their predictions about whether the Blue Devils can make the second round.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Five things to know before No. 7-seed Duke women's basketball tips off NCAA tournament play in Columbus, Ohio

By Martin Heintzelman | March 22, 2024

On the women’s side of the tournament, the seventh-seeded Blue Devils are headed to Columbus, Ohio, to face off first against No. 10-seed Richmond, then will take on the winner of No. 2-seed Ohio State and No. 15-seed Maine. With the first games tipping off Friday afternoon, here are five things to know:

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

X-Factor: Okananwa's prowess on both sides of the court crucial for Duke women's basketball against Richmond

By Elle Chavis | March 21, 2024

After losing to N.C. State in the ACC tournament, No. 7-seed Duke is back in action in the NCAA tournament against No. 10-seed Richmond Friday. The Blue Zone is here with a potential difference-maker from each squad.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Column: Duke women's basketball is an elite defensive team. Despite offensive issues, that makes it dangerous in March

By Riya Khatod | March 21, 2024

Their intensity has kept them competitive with highly ranked teams, stifling even some of the country’s strongest offensive efforts. From the beginning of the season, both fans and opponents of the Blue Devils recognized, and admired, this defensive prowess.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Kennedy Brown was Duke's impact transfer last year. This time around, she's its defensive anchor — and leader

By Caleb Dudley | March 21, 2024

While she may not have the flashiest stats every night in the box score due to her defensive emphasis, Brown’s presence down low is undeniable. She is an imposing anchor in the post and leads by example for one of the country’s premier defensive units. 

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Duke women's basketball selected as No. 7-seed in Region 3 of NCAA tournament, faces Richmond in first round

By Caleb Dudley | March 17, 2024

The Blue Devils were named a No. 7-seed in Region 3 of the NCAA tournament Sunday evening in a special ESPN broadcast. This is Duke’s second appearance in March Madness under head coach Kara Lawson.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Defensive solidity, shooting miscues characterize Duke women's basketball's chaotic ACC tournament loss to NC State

By Lilah Gorfain | March 9, 2024

It was a fight, to be sure, and a chaotic one at that.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

No. 7-seed Duke women's basketball falls to No. 2-seed NC State in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament

By Garrett Spooner | March 8, 2024

In a true back-and-forth contest, the seventh-seeded Blue Devils fell to No. 2-seed N.C. State 54-51 in a raucous ACC tournament quarterfinal contest. For the Wolfpack, Aziaha James led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds in a 39-minute performance. On the other side of the ball, Oluchi Okananwa led Duke with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double. 

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

In second-round win against Georgia Tech, Duke women's basketball shows the benefits of success in the paint

By Elle Chavis | March 8, 2024

While Thursday night’s victory was not as vicious as the 84-46 win Duke claimed back in January, the Blue Devils still put together an impressive win, going back to the basics and showing off one of the strongest parts of their offensive attack this season. 

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

No. 7-seed Duke women's basketball downs Georgia Tech, emerges from ACC tournament opener unscathed

By Luke Jovanovic | March 7, 2024

In their opening postseason battle, the seventh-seeded Blue Devils handled business, defeating No. 10-seed Georgia Tech 70-58 in the second round of the ACC tournament Thursday evening at Greensboro Coliseum.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

A look at Duke women's basketball's potential path through the ACC tournament

By Martin Heintzelman | March 7, 2024

Duke will likely be coming up against some of the top squads in the conference in rematches from the regular season as it heads into a stacked playoff bracket. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the prospective opponents that Duke could face throughout the tournament all the way through to the finals.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Duke women's basketball's Okananwa wins ACC Sixth Player of the Year, Richardson named to ACC Second Team

By Martin Heintzelman | March 5, 2024

Junior guard Reigan Richardson was named to the All-ACC Second Team, and freshman and fellow backcourt member Oluchi Okananwa was selected as both the Sixth Player of the Year and named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

'Always a battle': Tight loss to North Carolina underscores Duke women's basketball's fight despite agonizing end

By Ryan Hamner | March 4, 2024

For head coach Kara Lawson’s team, Sunday’s 63-59 loss at North Carolina is not worth panicking over. In fact, Duke once again showed its ability to hang tough and battle back, leaving it in good headspace for the postseason. 

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

HEEL KICKED: Duke women’s basketball falls just short in comeback bid, drops finale at North Carolina

By Caleb Dudley | March 3, 2024

In the regular season finale, Duke was locked into another dogfight against rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill. However, the result was the opposite of the first matchup between the two squads, as North Carolina emerged with a 63-59 win to end the Blue Devils’ regular season on a sour note. 

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Beats picks: Will Duke women's basketball sweep North Carolina at regular-season closer in Chapel Hill?

By Ryan Hamner , Elle Chavis , Colton Schwabe , Franck Djidjeu , Riya Khatod , Caleb Dudley and Martin Heintzelman | March 3, 2024

The Blue Devils head to Chapel Hill Sunday afternoon for a vital rivalry clash against North Carolina, looking for both a season sweep and a boost in seeding for the ACC tournament. The Chronicle's beat writers are here to offer their predictions of how Duke will fare.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Duke women's basketball's dominant win against Virginia shows it's peaking at the right time as postseason looms

By Elle Chavis | March 1, 2024

While their defense continued its upward trend of stifling opponents' offenses and silencing star players, the offense also shone bright, proving that everything is coming together for Duke and the team is peaking at the perfect time. 

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Duke women's basketball uses double-digit scoring from Brown, Richardson to overcome Virginia

By Colton Schwabe | February 29, 2024

Driven by double-digit scoring efforts from junior guard Reigan Richardson and senior center Kennedy Brown, Duke was able to hold off Virginia 73-54 to secure its final home-court victory of the regular season Thursday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

'Locked in defensively': Duke women’s basketball uses maturity, wire-to-wire performance to defeat No. 6 NC State

By Ryan Hamner | February 26, 2024

Lawson bought low — investing in eight underclassmen, but has shaped them into leaders of one of the most dominant defenses in the country, and used that defense to stifle a potent N.C. State attack for a second-straight ranked victory. 

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

SENT PACKING: Duke women's basketball blasts No. 6 N.C. State, secures second-straight ranked upset

By Lilah Gorfain | February 25, 2024

The Blue Devils were coming hot off of their away victory Thursday against Syracuse — and knocked the Wolfpack out cold. The game ended with a 69-48 Blue Devil victory, their second in a row against a ranked ACC opponent.

---

SPORTS | BASKETBALL

Even when tested by Syracuse's elite offense, Duke women's basketball proves its defensive mettle

By Caleb Dudley | February 23, 2024

Duke desperately needed to right the ship in order not to fall into a three-game slide. The Blue Devils did just that, dismantling the Orange’s dynamic offense and picking up their first ranked road win of the season while showing the ceiling for how elite their defense can be when playing to their full potential.