Duke Dominates to Defeat the Yellow Jackets

GREENSBORO, N.C. – A neighborhood battle is set for Friday as the 2024 Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament enters the quarterfinal round.
 
No. 7 seed Duke (20-10) will face No. 2 NC State (25-5) in the 5 p.m. game at Greensboro Coliseum following the Blue Devils’ 70-58 second-round win over No. 10 seed Georgia Tech on Thursday evening.
 
The Blue Devils’ Friday matchup versus the nationally No.10-ranked Wolfpack will be the third in seven weeks between the teams, each of which prevailed at home during the regular season. NC State posted a 72-57 win in Raleigh on Jan. 21, with Duke winning 69-58 in Durham on Feb. 25.
 
Oluchi Okanawa’s 15 points off the bench led the scoring for Duke in Thursday’s game, as the Blue Devils shot 51 percent as a team. Kennedy Brown added 14 points while pulling down a game-high eight rebounds. Ashlon Jackson connected on three first-half 3-pointers en route to 11.
 
After seeing Georgia Tech claw back from a 17-8 first-quarter deficit to tie the score at 20-all, the Blue Devils took control with an 18-1 run to go up 38-21 late in the second half. The Yellow Jackets scored eight unanswered points (last five of the second quarter, first three of the third quarter) to get back to within 38-29, but Duke did not allow the game to tighten further.
 
Duke did not make a 3-point shot in the second half but used its strong inside game to keep the Yellow Jackets at arm’s length. The Blue Devils outscored the Yellow Jackets 46-26 in the paint. Duke outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 42-27.
 
Georgia Tech’s Tonie Morgan led all scorers with 19 points, and Kara Dunn had 14. Missed opportunities at the foul line hurt the Yellow Jackets, as Tech shot 25 free throws (to Duke’s five) but knocked down only 15 attempts.
 
Duke improved to 7-0 all-time against Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament play. The Blue Devils have won at least one ACC tourney game in 26 of their last 29 appearances and are 40-14 all-time in tournament games played in Greensboro.

(Courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference)