Duke WBB Will Host Wingate in Exhibition Matchup

DURHAM NC – Duke Blue Devils WBB will open up their 2021 action on Wednesday night when they host Wingate at Cameron Indoor Stadium for an exhibition contest. Duke comes off a 2020 campaign that was cut extremely short, but they made the handful of games that they played count, going 3-1 in that span. We have to date back to 2019 to the last time that this unit has played an entire season, and they were able to tally a record of 18-12 (12-6, ACC), but their season came to an end in the first round of the ACC tournament, being defeated by Boston College.

Coach Kara Lawson is entering her second season as the Blue Devils head coach. Her impressive resume indicates that she will get the best out of her players to be successful. The former WNBA star started her coaching journey in 2019 as an assistant for the Boston Celtics, which ultimately landed her the Duke job a year later. In 13 years as a professional, she averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2 assists and naturally had the characteristics of a true leader. It should be exciting to see how she molds as a coach for a program like Duke.

A player to watch for Duke is senior guard Miela Goodchild. Despite the shortened year, she was on her way to putting up career numbers. She averaged a team-best 15.3 points a game in the four games, along with 4 rebounds and 1 assist. In addition, her three-point percentage was up at 38.5%, which neared her career-best set as a freshman at 44.5%. The expectations should be set high for the Rockhampton native, and it will not be surprising one bit if she picks up where she left off in terms of filling up the stat sheet.

As for their opponent for Thursday’s contest, Wingate is coming off a 10-10 season while compiling a record of 10-8 during conference play. They did appear in the SAC tournament but had an early exit losing in the first round to Newberry in a heartbreaker 70-69. This will be their second and final exhibition game, they took on UNC Wilmington on October 29th and were defeated by a score of 66-54. 

Duke is expected to open up regular season play on Tuesday, November 9th at 7:00 PM, hosting Winthrop, who is coming off an underwhelming 6-18 season. It should allow the Blue Devils to kick off 2021 on the right foot, as getting into a rhythm early on will be crucial.