It was a busy week around the women's basketball world and the Blue Devils were part of the action.
No. 13 Duke earned its first win against a ranked team Sunday, knocking off No. 8 Kentucky 89-68 thanks to a smothering defensive effort. The Blue Devils had three wins in five days following a three-game losing streak led by center Elizabeth Williams and held the Wildcats to 31.3-percent shooting en route to victory. Kentucky struggled after losing senior guard Bria Goss to a broken thumb and will look to rally before conference play and Duke showed it could compete with the top teams in the nation with a stifling zone defense.
The Blue Devils weren't the only ACC team involved in a top-20 showdown this week. No. 16 Oregon State recorded a strong 70-55 win Tuesday at No. 6 North Carolina Tuesday, holding the Tar Heels to a dismal 27.6-percent shooting clip. North Carolina also made just one of its 14 3-pointers and was just 12-of-26 from the free throw line and lost its first game following its poor shooting. After their strong defensive effort, the Beavers earned their first win against a top-10 opponent since 1995 and are 9-0 for the first time ever. Oregon State beat Southern Illinois later in the week to back up its strong road win.
No. 19 Syracuse also faced a top-20 nonconference opponent this week, falling 74-72 to No. 9 Baylor in Bear head coach Kim Mulkey's 500th game. The Orange had a chance to tie the game late, but were unable to convert, falling for the second time in 10 games this season. The Bears also bested No. 18 Michigan State 84-65 Saturday thanks to a 51-19 second-half advantage after a slow start to earn their second top-20 win after falling to Kentucky early in the season. With the three teams playing in the Florida Sunshine Tournament in WInter Park, Fla., the Spartans beat the Orange 89-76 Sunday led by Aerial Powers, who poured in 32 points and 17 rebounds.
No. 11 Tennessee also impressed Saturday, routing No. 7 Stanford 59-40 at home to give the Cardinal their fourth loss of the season before conference play. Stanford knocked off Connecticut early this season, but has now lost four of its past eight games, including losses to North Carolina and Texas, teams Stanford could meet again in the NCAA tournament.
Speaking of Texas, the No. 3 Longhorns remained unbeaten by stunning No. 4 Texas A&M 67-65 on a late Empress Davenport layup in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Texas overcame an 11-point second-half deficit and capped the comeback on Davenport's bucket with 4.2 seconds left and is now off to its best performance since 2008. The Aggies, who bested Duke earlier this season, suffered a hearbreaking loss, their first defeat in 12 games this season.
In yet another top-25 matchup, No. 10 Louisville handed No. 24 California its third consecutive loss with a 70-57 victory Sunday in a rematch of the teams' 2013 Final Four matchup. The Cardinals, who are now 11-1, looked shaky in a loss to rival Kentucky earlier this season, but controlled Sunday's game by holding the Golden Bears to 32.2 percent shooting.
Rivals in rank: No. 16 Oregon State at No. 11 Tennessee, Sunday, Dec. 28, 1 p.m.
Upset alert: No. 15 Georgia at Seton Hall, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2 p.m.
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