The independent news organization of Duke University
Duke will have to wait another game to actually play its first ACC contest.
Duke only notched seven points in the first quarter, with two of those from the line. The second quarter, while better, was still not enough for head coach Kara Lawson’s squad, as the team shot 29% from the field and trailed South Carolina by 16 at half-time.
Duke’s 55-46 loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium Wednesday was not the outcome the Blue Devil faithful wanted, but it’s clear that head coach Kara Lawson and her squad have started a new brand of Duke women’s basketball.
The undefeated Blue Devils will compete against No. 1 South Carolina Wednesday night, and with the bench depth and firepower of this year's roster, it doesn’t seem like they are ready to tally a loss anytime soon.
The WWE announced its first-ever NIL class Wednesday morning, and graduate senior Lexi Gordon was one of the 15 student-athletes to be a part of it.
After their first ranked win of the season, the Blue Devils have entered the top 25, and the Blue Zone is here with our thoughts on the latest rankings.
While there were little doubts that the Blue Devils would emerge victorious today, the Quakers exposed the many strengths and weaknesses of head coach Kara Lawson's roster ahead of the highly anticipated matchup against No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 15.
Duke beat the Quakers 77-55 at The Palestra, a game in which they pulled away early, only to struggle mightily in the middle part of the game, before widening the lead again in the late third and early fourth quarters.
Though the Blue Devils put on an impressive offensive show, racking up more than 70 points for their seventh contest in a row and holding the lead for the bulk of the contest, where they shined the most was through capitalizing on Iowa’s shoddy offensive performance.
The Blue Devils beat the ninth-ranked Hawkeyes 79-64 at Cameron Indoor, buoyed by the most fervent home crowd Duke has seen since the last time it upset a ranked opponent on Coach K Court, a two-point win over then-No. 14 Florida State.
Though Duke reigns undefeated as of now, its contest with Iowa will be the test that shows whether this squad has what it takes to make it to the top. The Hawkeyes don’t have any particularly notable wins thus far, but 6-0 Duke may be their first real contender.
Day-Wilson shot 80% from three on 10 attempts, breaking a school record for made triples in a single game.
This was an evening to remember for both freshman Shayeann Day-Wilson and junior Celeste Taylor.
Having only scored 28 points in its first 20 minutes of play, for Duke, recording 33 points in the third quarter alone shows that it has no plans to register a loss anytime soon.
This game was highlighted by Lexi Gordon’s season-high 21 points and Shayeann Day-Wilson’s season-high 14 points and five assists.
Though Celeste Taylor justifiably received most of the plaudits for her 21-point performance on the day, Shayeann Day-Wilson proved just as influential in seeing the game out and keeping Duke in it.
Duke won 74-71 to best Alabama, and evidently, it was no easy game for either team Sunday afternoon at Schollmaier Arena.
Given that focus, Lawson has her players eyeing a specific game area to play unified—defense. In their match against UNC Wilmington, that hone-in was evident.
Since tip-off, the Blue Devils never took their foot off the accelerator, zooming past the early 12-4 lead they established within the first few minutes of the game.
A 14-point win over the top team in the Atlantic 10 is nothing to scoff at. But that coming in spite of 18 turnovers and seven missed free throws is eye-popping.