Welcome to the Top 25, Duke.
As the nation’s top teams know, the spotlight shines brighter when you see a small number to the left of their name. Thursday night’s matchup had all the ingredients for an upset.
Despite this, the No. 19 Duke escaped in-state opponents with a 60–50 win at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Star senior guard Celeste Taylor led the Blues with 18 points and four rebounds. With this win, the Blue extended his Devils winning streak to nine, and Duke continues his coach Carla Lawson’s best start with his Blue.
Lawson said after the game, “I thought it was a tough win for our team. I encourage this group to go 4-0 in a league against four tough teams.”
Junior guard Jewel Spear was the star of Wake Forest. Spear came to life in the 3rd quarter, scoring 10 points to bring the Daemons back within 1 of him in a hotly contested matchup. At the end of the third quarter, Duke (14-1, his 4-0 in the ACC) faltered, leading 44-41.
“We knew where we needed to pay attention [Spear] I was always on the court,” Lawson said. “Everybody knew where she was.
But going into the fourth quarter, Lawson’s team flipped a switch. Ragan Richardson’s jumper capped Duke’s run at 7-2 early in the quarter, with just over five minutes remaining he extended the lead to seven.
As the nation’s second-leading scoring defense, allowing just 50.3 opponent points per game, Duke succumbed to its identity and put Damon Deacon away (10-6, 1-4). The Blue Devils defense allowed three field goals in the fourth quarter to keep the game safely out of reach.
“The rebounding percentage outpaced the team by double digits,” Lawson said. “It’s the first time we’ve done that in ACC play this year.”
The night started slow for the Blue Devils as three turnovers and a failed layup highlighted the team’s first four possessions. After Wake Forest took a 5–0 lead from him, Richardson scored two frees on his throw and he roused Lawson’s team with a 3-pointer, midway through the first quarter he trailed 5–5. We have tied the score.
The quarter ended as it started, marked by uncharacteristically sloppy play in the opening ten minutes. At the end of the quarter, Duke shot 3-of-15 while his opponent 3-of-11 from the field. The quarter ended with the Demon Deacons leading 10-9 on him after the Blue Devil turned over his 6th.
Lawson said: “I thought Wake Forest were well trapped in our attack. ‘We just couldn’t find the rhythm.’
Lawson’s irritation was evident early in the second quarter. After several Duke foul calls that led to Wake Forest’s free throws, the third-year head coach appeared visibly shaken.
But Duke’s apparent frustration culminated when sophomore guard Shayne Day Wilson accidentally hit an elbow and was ruled a flagrant foul, giving Wake Forest a 4-point lead, 21-15. Got possession.
A recurring theme: Who but Taylor will save the day? The senior guard led the Blue Devils to back-to-back triples to tie the game 21-21 and score a total of 10 points with three minutes remaining in the second quarter. bottom.
“[Taylor’s] The shotmaking and her overall energy on both ends saved us in the first half,” Lawson said. “She continues to be our leader and someone we have a lot of confidence in when she’s on the court.”
From there it was all for Duke to end the second quarter. There were two Elizabeth Balogun layups and two more Taylor Jumpers, including a step back triple that sent the Blue Devils bench into a frenzy. Duke led Wake Forest he 32-24 after a 17-3 run to take the game into the halftime interval.
USBWA National Player of the Week award winner Balogun continued his decisive play with strong rebounding, defense and off-ball cutting. Her 12-point, 10-rebound double-double was what doctors ordered against a battle-filled Wake Forest team.
“I told the team at halftime. [Balogun]”She continues to lead us on the grass and we need her to help us more,” Lawson said. .”
Richardson combined an and-one finish and a flex to the bench against a spirited Wake Forest team to push Duke’s lead to a final score of 60-50.
Duke’s victory was impressive. The Blue Devils have not only remained undefeated in conference play, they have proven themselves capable of winning as true favorites. This is something that Lawson and her team will certainly hope to continue with as the year progresses.
Up next, Duke will host Clemson on January 12th at 7:00 PM to continue the conference play.
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