Gorecki Leads Duke to Upset of NC State

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Duke women’s basketball team, led by graduate student guard Haley Gorecki, upset eighth-ranked NC State in an all-around excellent effort Monday at Reynolds Coliseum by knocking off the Wolfpack, 70-65, in front of over 5,500 fans. 

The victory for the Blue Devils marked the first road win over a top 10 program since February 2, 2015, against eighth-ranked Louisville.

Haley Gorecki led all scorers with 24 points, including 13 in the final frame, while sophomore Onome Akinbode-James (12), graduate Kyra Lambert (11) and senior Leaonna Odom (10) each registered double-digit scoring.

The Blue Devils improved to 17-10 overall and 11-5 in the ACC, while notching its 10th win out of the last 12 contests. NC State dropped to 23-4, 12-4.

Duke featured a great start to the game going ahead 7-0 and holding the Wolfpack to 0-5 from the field, but the Blue Devils missed their next five field goals and NC State went on a 6-0 run. After the Wolfpack tied the game, 9-9, redshirt sophomore Mikayla Boykin sank a jumper and then sophomore Miela Goodchild drained a corner three-pointer to put Duke ahead, 14-9.

NC State responded with a 5-0 run to conclude the first quarter and both teams were knotted, 14-14, after the first 10 minutes.

The Blue Devils went on a 13-2 run to open the second period and led by as many as 11, 27-16, with 5:57 remaining in the second. NC State had a 10-2 run to close the half and the Blue Devils held a 31-30 lead at the break.

Odom led the Blue Devils with eight first-half points, while Gorecki added seven to go along with three assists, two steals, two rebounds and one blocked shot. Duke led the entire first half and held an 8-0 advantage on second-chance points.

The Blue Devils opened the second half with a 6-0 run to go ahead, 37-30, but missed their next four shots as NC State cut the Duke lead to three. Coming out of a media timeout, Boykin and Akinbode-James ignited a 6-1 run and the Blue Devils held a 48-43 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

Akinbode-James, who is from Abeokuta, Nigeria, reached double-figure scoring through the first three quarters with 10 points. It marked the first time since Dec. 4 at Nebraska she scored double-digits and the first time in ACC action this season.

NC State once again made a run of its own and cut the Duke advantage to 50-48, but the Blue Devils responded with a 7-0 run. The Blue Devils increased their lead to 10, 62-52, with 3:18 remaining, but the Wolfpack came back to trim the Duke advantage to 66-63 with 43 seconds remaining.

Gorecki responded by draining the shot clock and taking the ball to the basket, before finishing with her right hand to put Duke ahead, 68-63, with 19.4 seconds on the clock. Gorecki added two more free throws to seal the Blue Devil win.

Duke finished the contest with only eight turnovers while scoring 23 points off 16 Wolfpack giveaways.

Gorecki, a product of Palatine, Ill., showed why she is an All-America and ACC Player of the Year candidate finishing with another all-around stat line with 24 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot. She featured one turnover in 40 minutes.

After attempting only two free throws over the first three quarters, Duke drained 10-of-12 in the fourth, including 7-of-8 by Gorecki. Boykin, a product of Clinton, N.C., chipped in six points and four assists.

NC State was led by Elissa Cunane with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Duke will continue its road swing to conclude the regular season as the Blue Devils will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia to face Virginia Tech on Thursday, February 27 at 7 pm. NC State will return home to face Syracuse on Thursday at 7 pm.

Photo Courtesy of Lawrence Davis III.