A seemingly sold-out Columbia gym brought the full road experience for a young Duke squad that is still solidifying its team chemistry.
The Lions gave Duke problems throughout the contest, and nowhere was that more prevalent than in the middle of the fourth quarter, when Columbia suddenly came to life down by ten. In the end, the Blue Devils barely escaped with a 66-62 victory.
Team USA defeated the Blue Devils 87-58, and the majority of the second half was not particularly close. But that didn’t matter. The enormous community support represents not only the increase in enthusiasm about women’s basketball, but it demonstrates the important program building that head coach Kara Lawson is creating in Durham.
The Blue Devils are an above-average college hoops squad, but the national team is arguably the best in the world. Despite that, the atmosphere was friendly and the crowd energetic as the Blue Devils held their own.
From the initial tipoff, Duke imposed a suffocating defensive pressure that left Coastal Carolina struggling to execute even the most routine plays.
The Blue Devils’ defense was too much for Coastal Carolina to handle throughout the contest, as Duke cruised to a 88-42 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the first meeting between the Blue Devils and Chanticleers in either program’s history.
On Thursday night, guard Louann Battiston signed her National Letter of Intent to become a Blue Devil, giving Duke four commits for next season.
On Wednesday night, Duke women’s basketball added yet another member to its 2024 class, as five-star forward Arianna Roberson announced her commitment to the program.
While much of the preseason focus this year has been on the dominance of the Blue Devils’ defense, in their home opener and first game of the 2023-34 season, they proved that their offense should not be discounted as a genuine threat.
The Blue Devils displayed a level of physicality that Richmond simply could not match. As the game went on, one team wore down while the other rose to excellence, culminating in an 83-53 rout of Richmond by Duke.
Duke’s exhibition opener against Wingate displayed the same intensity that Lawson utilized last season, despite the Blue Devils having only 10 healthy players on their roster.
Duke’s entire squad came alive, running the floor and putting together a cohesive effort that resulted in an 106-33 beatdown of Wingate.
Since its surprising loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament, it has been a long eight months this offseason. But Monday morning, another chapter of The Sisterhood will begin.
First, there was the loss of the graduating class. Then came the transfers. Who's stepping up for the Blue Devils now?
Ahead of the Blue Devils’ Monday season tipoff, The Chronicle’s beat writers are here to predict Duke’s record, team MVP, best win and more.
Emsbo’s grit, prowess and leadership qualities could be just the cure Duke women’s basketball needs to fill a void left by the end of last season.
What people mean when they say that Duke is a basketball school is that it is a men's basketball school. The Cameron Crazies have not kept up with the increasing interest in women's basketball across the country.
Duke’s abnormally narrow lineup may seem to only harm the team's potential, but there is a silver lining to the situation.
With just 10 active players on her roster, Lawson has to put her hopes of winning big and building The Sisterhood on hold.
Duke women’s basketball heads back to Cameron Indoor Stadium for its first regular season game of the year on Monday. The Blue Zone is here with player previews — strengths, weaknesses and insights — for every member of the 2022-23 roster.
