Duke vs No. 6 NC State | ACC | 2.25.24

DURHAM – February 25th, 2024

Duke sophomore guard Taina Mair scored a team-high 20 points and the Blue Devils held sixth-ranked NC State to 33-percent shooting en route to a thrilling 69-58 victory in women's basketball action Sunday inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Mair registered her third 20-point game this season on 7-of-17 shooting, pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and dished three assists to lead the Blue Devils (18-9, 10-6 ACC). Reigan Richardson chipped in 15 points and four rebounds while Kennedy Brown rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 points and six boards in just 27 minutes of action.

Duke, leading for the entire 40 minutes, held the Wolfpack (23-5, 11-5 ACC) 18 points below its season average of 76 while forcing NC State into 14 turnovers. The 33-percent shooting marked the second lowest by the Wolfpack this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
Duke got off to a rapid start and held an 11-2 lead at the first quarter media timeout.
Richardson cashed in the first two Duke buckets via midrange jumpers to get the Blue Devil offense going. Brown dropped in a layup on Duke's next possession to give Duke the 6-0 advantage.
After NC State managed to break the seal on its end of the court, Mair buried a triple from the left slot before Camilla Emsbo poked the ball away and took it the length of the court for the transition finish and a nine-point Blue Devil lead.
The visitors cut into the deficit, but Duke maintained a 13-8 advantage after one.
Sophomore Emma Koabel provided a spark off the bench for Duke scoring six of the team's first 10 points of the second period, helping the Blue Devils extend their lead to nine, 23-14, at the 3:27 mark.
Classmates Ashlon Jackson (5) and Mair had hot hands in the second quarter as well, with Mair scoring seven of her 10 first-half points during the frame.
Overall, the Blue Devils doubled NC State on the scoreboard (22-11) across the 10 minutes and closed the half drilling six of their last eight shots from the field. Duke capped the first half with an exclamation point via Jackson's deep, left-wing triple as time expired. At the break, the Blue Devils held a 35-19 lead.
Duke kept the pressure on as it netted eight of the third quarter's first 10 points. Richardson once again got things going before back-to-back triples by Mair and Brown increased the Blue Devils' margin to 21, 43-21, with 5:29 to play.
The teams traded runs to close the quarter with NC State issuing a quick 9-0 response to pull within 13 (43-30) and the Blue Devils countering with nine of the next 11 to push their margin back to 20, 52-32.
An 8-0 NC State run midway through the fourth pulled the visitors within nine, 58-49, until an old-fashioned three-point play by Mair pushed the Duke lead back to 12 with just over two minutes to play.
The Wolfpack attempted to make one final late push, but the Blue Devils knocked down six free throws down the stretch to lock down the 11-point triumph.

GAME NOTES
With the win, Duke improves to 18-9 overall and now stands at 10-6 in ACC play. Duke also picks up its fourth win of the year over a ranked opponent (4-6).
The Blue Devils move to 13-3 at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season.
Sophomore Taina Mair registered her third 20-plus point game of the season, pacing the Blue Devils with 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting, a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.
Junior Reigan Richardson finished in double figures for the fourth-straight game and 16th time this season as she added 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Richardson has averaged 15.0 points over this stretch.
Kennedy Brown rounded out the double-digit scorers for Duke with the senior also chipping in 15 points against the Wolfpack. Brown rounded out her stat line with six caroms and an assist.
Duke led the game from start to finish, its advantage reaching 22 points at the largest at the 5:29 mark of the third quarter.
For the game, Duke shot 46.7 percent from the floor (28-for-60), 28.6 percent from distance (6-of-21) and 100 percent at the charity stripe (7-of-7).
Duke assisted on nearly 43 percent of its baskets on Sunday with 12 dimes on 28 made field goals.
Duke held the advantage in points in the paint (32-20), on the fastbreak (9-7) and points off turnovers (13-12).
On the defensive end, the Blue Devils forced 14 NC State turnovers, tallied seven steals and blocked three shots.
The Blue Devils held NC State to 33-percent shooting from the floor – the second-lowest shooting clip by the Wolfpack this season.
Duke has now held 26 of 27 opponents below their respective season scoring averages on the year. NC State's 58 points was 18.1 below its average of 76.1.

UP NEXT
The Blue Devils will honor their two seniors -- Kennedy Brown and Camilla Emsbo -- on Thursday, Feb. 29, when Duke hosts Virginia at 7 p.m., live on ACCNX.