Gorecki, Goodchild Lead Duke Past Troy
DURHAM, NC – The Duke women’s basketball tandem of graduate Haley Gorecki and sophomore Miela Goodchild combined to score 49 points as the Blue Devils downed Troy, 99-85, Sunday afternoon in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Gorecki, who hails from Palatine, Ill., collected her 11th career double-double with 23 points and a season-high 13 rebounds, while Goodchild scored 23 of her 26 points in the second stanza to pace the Blue Devils. Gorecki chipped in five assists, three steals and two blocked shots over 35 minutes. She finished the week with 53 points and 17 rebounds while leading Duke to two victories.
A native of Queensland, Australia, Goodchild matched a career-high with 26 points while hitting 5-of-8 three-pointers. She totaled a Blue Devil record 16 points in the fourth quarter. Goodchild added four rebounds and three assists.
Duke jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first quarter as Troy missed its first nine field-goal attempts and the Blue Devils led, 25-4, with 3:16 remaining in the first. Senior Leaonna Odom collected six early points for Duke. The Trojans got hot hitting their last five attempts to conclude the quarter on an 8-2 run. The Blue Devils held a 31-17 advantage heading into the second period while being paced by Gorecki with nine points and five rebounds.
Duke’s 31 first quarter points were the second-most by the Blue Devils in school history.
Troy continued cutting into the Duke lead in the second quarter outscoring the Blue Devils, 23-17, and Duke held a 48-40 lead at the break. Blue Devil freshman Azana Baines scored eight of her nine points in the second quarter, while eight different Duke players scored in the first half, led by Gorecki’s nine. The 48 first-half points tied a season-high for the Blue Devils.
In a tightly contested third quarter, the Blue Devil defense clamped down on the Trojans and held Troy to 5-of-19 field goals. Duke increased its lead to 66-56 heading into the final frame.
The final quarter featured a total of 62 points, including a Duke record 33 and a Blue Devil opponent record of 29. Goodchild led all scorers in the fourth period, tallying 16 points for a Blue Devil record.
Senior Leaonna Odom added 16 points for the Blue Devils, while freshman Jada Claude pulled down a career-high eight boards. Troy (3-2) was led by Jasmine Robinson’s 25 points.
Duke finished the contest hitting a season-best 50.8 field goal percentage while outrebounding Troy, 49-41. In the paint, the Blue Devils outscored the Trojans 44-26. Duke won back-to-back contests for the first time this season and improved to 4-2.
Duke will continue its homestand by hosting Davidson Wednesday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Check out pictures from the game below. Images by Lawrence Davis III.
