Duke Moves To 4-0 After A Win Against Texas A&M

Durham, NC-  After a 3-0 start for the Blue Devils (4-0)  following a road win at Davidson this past Saturday, they faced Texas A&M (2-1)  in which they were able to pull another win beating them 71-52 on Thursday, November 17 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

Through the first three games of the season, the Blue Devils have played strong defense, holding opponents to just 26.5 percent shooting from the field, which ranks second in the ACC and 11th nationally. They also have averaged 22.0 assists, which is presently tied for sixth in the NCAA. For the second consecutive year, Duke has started the season with four straight victories, moving to 4-0. The 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons were the last time Duke began that record. 

Within the first quarter, it was already a fast pace game. During that period, both teams were making scoring plays until the Blue Devils went on a 6-0 run to take a 12-8 lead into the timeout. Reigan Richardson was very aggressive off the dribble and looking for any possible shots to gain a starting momentum for her team which led to her finishing the game with 10 points and 4 rebounds. 

 After Shayeann Day-Wilson’s hesi and pass to Lee Volker for the layup, Duke scored six of the next eight points to increase its run to 12-2 and widen its lead to 18-10. The Aggies were forced to call a timeout with 1:26 remaining in the first period as a result.

After a triple by Eriny Kindred and two free throws from Janiah Barker, Texas A&M narrowed the gap to 30-22, but Duke finished the half on a 10-2 run to lead 40-24 at halftime. 

Duke’s Celeste Taylor came out hot opening the third quarter in which she scored 11 points and gained 2 steals. Taylor ended the game with 14 points and a game-high of 10 rebounds, giving her a ninth double-double in her career. 

In the third quarter, the Blue Devils’ advantage increased to more than 20 points as the defense tightened up, forcing six Texas A&M turnovers, including four in the last two and a half minutes. Seven of Elizabeth Balogun’s 15 points came in the third quarter to help Duke widen the margin of victory.

In the final period, Texas A&M picked up momentum by scoring 14 of their 22 points in an effort to mount a late comeback. The Aggies’ efforts failed as Duke secured the victory by a score of 19 points. What led to Texas A&M’s downfall was their turnovers in which Duke was able to score 30 points off The Aggie’s 23 turnovers.

Duke travels to play Toledo on Sunday, November 20 at 1 pm. Tune in on ESPN+ to see if they can keep their winning streak going!