This article is written by Bob Sutton from the Associated Press.

On Sunday evening, Taina Mair earned a total of 19 points while playing for Duke against No. 6 ranked North Carolina State. This marks the Blue Devils’ second win against a top-ranked team within the span of four days.

Duke coach Kara Lawson acknowledges the challenges of developing within the ACC, but she is proud of her players for remaining open to coaching and putting in effort. She has noticed consistent progress from them each week.

Reigan Richardson and Kennedy Brown each scored 15 points as Duke (18-9, 10-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) avenged a 15-point loss to N.C. State last month.

Duke held a lead of up to 22 points and maintained it in their victory over No. 17 Syracuse on Thursday night, with a final score of 58-45. However, they suffered a defeat against No. 16 Notre Dame in their previous game at home last Monday.

Lawson expressed satisfaction with their execution tonight, despite imperfections.

Aziaha James put up 15 points, while River Baldwin contributed 14 and Saniya Rivers scored 13 for N.C. State (23-5, 11-5). Unfortunately, their chances of competing for a portion of the ACC regular-season championship were crushed. This was the team’s first back-to-back loss of the season, following their defeat at North Carolina on Thursday.

Wes Moore, coach of the Wolfpack, expressed that he believed his team showed improvement in the second half, but emphasized that a mere 20 minutes of effort is not enough in this league. He urged his players to have a heightened sense of urgency.

The field goal percentage for N.C. State was 33.3% (20 out of 60 attempts), while their 3-point percentage was 25% (3 out of 12 attempts). Unfortunately, this led to their third loss in 11 games.

Last week, Moore had expressed worry about consecutive away games against local rivals. This concern turned out to be valid.

“He was prepared to play from the start,” he stated. “We were hit pretty early on.”

Duke’s team, the Blue Devils, created a sufficient lead that allowed them to endure a four-minute period without scoring in the fourth quarter. Mair made a three-point shot, earning a point and extending their lead to 61-49 with only 2 minutes and 2 seconds left on the clock.

Despite being behind by 22 points, the Wolfpack managed to quickly score nine points in just one minute. James made two 3-pointers, bringing them closer with a score of 43-30. However, when the gap was once again widened to 20 points, it seemed like the Blue Devils were in a favorable position.

At the end of the first half, Duke was leading with a score of 35-19 thanks to Ashlon Jackson’s last-minute 3-pointer. The Wolfpack struggled against Duke’s strong defense, only shooting 21.4% in the first half.

Brown emphasized the importance of beginning the game with a strong and aggressive approach.

The team of N.C. State had a total of 14 turnovers and six assists.

According to Moore, they create significant challenges when trying to execute plays on offense.

Duke did not make any free throw attempts until there were only 2 minutes and 2 seconds remaining in the game, but managed to make all 7 of their shots from the line.

BIG PICTURE

NC State’s record on the road is now 7-4 after their recent loss. While their 19 points in the first half wasn’t their lowest of the season, it was still concerning for a team that typically scores an average of 76.1 points.

Duke’s basketball team recently played their fourth consecutive game against a ranked opponent and managed to win two of them. They had a strong showing from beyond the 3-point line, outscoring N.C. State 18-9. This is the second time in a row that Duke has beaten N.C. State, making it their best performance against their rival in 10 years.

UP NEXT

North Carolina State will be hosting the 17th ranked Syracuse on Thursday.

Duke will be facing Virginia as their opponent on Thursday.

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Source: wralsportsfan.com