Duke Storms Back to Claim Back-To-Back ACC Championships

DULUTH, Ga. – Trailing by four with less than two minutes remaining, the Duke women’s basketball team fought back to repeat as league champions by defeating Louisville 70-65 in overtime in the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship Sunday at Gas South Arena.

Duke took a 51-49 lead with 7:02 remaining in regulation but struggled to find ways to score as Louisville battled to a 57-53 lead in the 1:43. The Blue Devils then took control.

Delaney Thomas got a put-back and the foul. The junior missed the ensuing free throw, but Riley Nelson drained a three to put Duke ahead 58-57 with 27 ticks left.

A Louisville layup with 23 seconds remaining and a free throw with 14 seconds left made it a 60-58 Cardinal advantage. Thomas came in clutch again with a layup with four seconds remaining to force overtime as Taina Mair blocked a Louisville shot at the buzzer.

Once in the extra session, Duke trailed just once, 63-62 with 3:52 to go. A Thomas layup at the 3:20 mark put the Blue Devils ahead for good as they repeated as ACC champions. Nelson provided the dagger with another three with six seconds left.

Mair and Thomas led all scorers with 19 points apiece, while Nelson added 12 points in the win. Mair pulled in 12 rebounds and Thomas had nine boards, including seven on the offensive glass. Ashlon Jackson dished a team-best six assists to go with her 11 points.

Duke claimed its 10th ACC Tournament title in program history and became the first repeat champion since NC State in 2021 and 2022. The Blue Devils also finished as regular season and tournament champions for the eighth time in program history, which is the most among all current ACC members.