By Duke Athletics

DURHAM – Duke sophomore guard Taina Mair scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Blue Devils to an, 82-63, victory over Florida Gulf Coast in women’s basketball action Sunday afternoon in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils outscored the Eagles 39-25 in the second half to secure the win.

Mair had a successful shooting performance, going 11-for-18 and also contributing four assists and three rebounds for the Blue Devils (6-4, 0-1 ACC). Freshman Oluchi Okananwa had a strong game as well, scoring 18 points with a 75 percent shooting percentage and making all three of her three-point attempts. She also had five steals and five rebounds, showing a well-rounded effort.

Duke had a total of four players who scored in double digits, with Ashlon Jackson scoring 14 points and Kennedy Brown adding 10. Delaney Thomas was the top rebounder with seven rebounds.

The Blue Devils had a strong shooting performance, making 57 percent (32 out of 56) of their shots and causing the Eagles to commit 22 turnovers.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

In the first 10 minutes, there was a lot of back-and-forth action with two ties and three changes in the lead. The Eagles were ahead 19-17 at the end of the quarter.

In the first quarter, Jackson (8), Mair (7), and Okananwa scored a total of 17 points for the Blue Devils. The three players were flawless in their shooting, going 6-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

Duke successfully made seven out of its last eight shots and scored 26 points compared to the Eagles’ 19 in the second quarter, giving them a 43-38 lead at halftime.

In the game, Florida Gulf Coast had a lead of five points at one point. However, towards the end of the period, a 12-2 scoring streak by the Blue Devils enabled them to take the lead at 40-32 with less than two minutes remaining.

In the second quarter, Okananwa delivered a burst of energy with 10 points, three steals, and two rebounds.

Duke extended their lead to over ten points with a 7-2 run at the beginning of the third quarter, causing the Eagles to call a timeout.

The Blue Devils added 8 points out of the next 10, increasing their lead to 16 points with a score of 58-42. This was made possible by Brown’s shot assisted by Reigan Richardson with 4:11 left in the game.

FGCU was able to reduce the deficit to less than ten points towards the end of the quarter. However, Okananwa made a three-pointer from the left corner just before the buzzer, increasing Duke’s lead to twelve points going into the fourth quarter.

Duke secured the win by outscoring the Eagles 17-10 in the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTES

The Blue Devils break their two-game losing streak and now have a record of 6-4 for the season, with a 3-1 overall record against Florida Gulf Coast.

During the game, the Blue Devils had a 57 percent shooting accuracy (32 out of 56 shots made) from the field, 45 percent (5 out of 11 shots made) from the three-point line, and an 81 percent success rate (13 out of 16 shots made) at the free throw line.

Duke’s field goal percentage of 57% is their highest so far this year, beating out their previous high of 54.1% against Richmond.

Duke has achieved a 40% or higher success rate in three-point shots in six of their games this season, and has also managed to make at least five three-pointers in eight of their contests.

The Blue Devils played strong defense, limiting Florida Gulf Coast to a 37% shooting percentage throughout the game. In the first, third, and fourth quarters combined, they only made 14 out of 44 shots. This held the Eagles to 10 points lower than their usual scoring average for the season.

In the first quarter, Duke had a shooting percentage of 75% (6-for-8), which was their highest of the season so far. This surpassed their previous record of 57.1% at Georgia.

The Blue Devils’ shooting accuracy in the first quarter (75%) was also equal to the second highest in the history of the program.

Duke achieved their highest number of points in a second quarter this season, scoring 26 points and surpassing the 24 points scored against Davidson. They also had a 60% shooting percentage (9 out of 15 shots) in that quarter, which was their best of the season.

Duke emerged victorious in four out of five categories, including points off turnovers (29-13), points in the paint (44-30), fastbreak (20-8), and bench scoring (28-4).

UP NEXT

Duke’s basketball team is hosting Toledo at their home court on Wednesday, December 20th at 7 p.m. for a game during the middle of the week.

Source: wralsportsfan.com