Blue Devils Set for Top-20 Clash at North Carolina

Thursday, January 9

Chapel Hill, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

North Carolina

Jadyn Donovan dribbles up the court against Pitt

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Set for Top-20 Clash at North Carolina

1/8/2025 7:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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DURHAM, N.C. – No. 14 Duke opens a two-game road swing with a midweek contest against Tobacco Road rival and No. 19 North Carolina, on Thursday, Jan. 9 in Chapel Hill. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., live on ACC Network.

THE OPENING TIP:

Thursday marks the 109th all-time meeting between Duke and North Carolina. The Tar Heels hold a slim, 55-53 edge.
Duke checks in at No. 14 in the Associated Press (AP) Top-25 poll and 10th in the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings. The Blue Devils' Strength of Schedule (SOS) checks in No. 3 nationally and first in the ACC.
With her pull-up jumper from the top of the key at the 8:53 mark of the third quarter, Reigan Richardson eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark.
In three seasons at Duke, Richardson has emerged as a premier two-way threat for the Blue Devils. She has amassed 832 points during her time in Durham and totaled 1,002 for her career.
Duke boasts one of its most potent offenses in recent memory as the Blue Devils have been on a tear this season putting up 80.3 points on 48% shooting from the field and 38% from deep.
The Blue Devils' balanced attack is led by the double-figure trio of Toby Fournier (12.9), Reigan Richardson (12.4) and Ashlon Jackson (11.9). Overall, Duke has had seven different leading scorers with nine different players reaching double figures thus far.
Nine players average at least 10 minutes per game with five playing 20 plus - Ashlon Jackson (27.7), Reigan Richardson (27.6), Taina Mair (24.6), Jadyn Donovan (23.2) and Delaney Thomas (21.1).
When looking at the numbers in ACC play, Duke features one of the league's top offenses and defenses, with the Blue Devils ranked in the top five of 14 categories.
The Blue Devils lead the league in scoring defense (49.7), scoring margin (+29), field goal percentage (.500), three point defense (.188), rebounding defense (31.0), blocks (7.0) and offensive rebound percentage (.448).
Duke checks in at No. 2 in field goal percentage defense (.348), three point percentage (.434), turnover margin (+8.33) and No. 3 in assists (17.3), offensive rebound average (14.3) and rebounding margin (+7.0). The Blue Devils are fifth in scoring offense with 78.7 points per game.
Duke has received a huge lift from its reserves this season, checking in at eighth nationally with 34.4 bench points per game (NCAA rankings as of Jan. 8). Duke has doubled up its foes, outscoring them 516-238.
Following a slow start to the season, sophomore forward Delaney Thomas has found her rhythm, seamlessly flipping the switch and emerging as an offensive weapon for the Blue Devils.
Thomas has reached double figures in six of her last nine games, putting up 9.9 points and 4.7 rebounds on 63.3% shooting while averaging 1.2 points per possession.
Oluchi Okananwa has found her offensive rhythm over the past month, notching three straight double-figure outings and reaching double digits in four of her last six.
Over her last six contests, Okananwa is putting up 12.0 points on 55% shooting, 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She is averaging 1.01 points per possession during this stretch.

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER:

Duke boasts one of its most potent offenses in recent memory as the Blue Devils have been on a tear this season putting up 80.3 points on 48% shooting from the field and 38% from deep.
The Blue Devils' current scoring average is their highest dating back to the 2013-14 campaign, while the field goal percentage is the best since 2016-17.
In the NCAA team rankings, the Blue Devils are 16th in field goal percentage, 17th in three point shooting and 28th in scoring offense (NCAA rankings as of Jan. 8).
Duke has scored at least 70 points and featured a minimum of three players in double figures in all but two games this season. The Blue Devils opened the 2024-25 campaign with 12 consecutive 70-plus point outings - the stretch marking a program best for the Blue Devils.
Duke has shot at a 50% clip in eight games and finished with at least five double-digit scorers four times this season. Duke has eclipsed the 80-point threshold eight times and scored 90-plus points on two occasions.
The Blue Devils' balanced attack is led by the double-figure trio of Toby Fournier (12.9), Reigan Richardson (12.4) and Ashlon Jackson (11.9). Overall, Duke has had seven different leading scorers with nine different players reaching double figures thus far.
Nine players average at least 10 minutes per game with five playing 20 plus - Ashlon Jackson (27.7), Reigan Richardson (27.6), Taina Mair (24.6), Jadyn Donovan (23.2) and Delaney Thomas (21.1).
Duke's 109 points against Oklahoma (11.27) were the Blue Devils' most against a ranked foe since Jan. 24, 2002, when the team scored 102 points in a 20-point triumph over No. 21 North Carolina.
The Blue Devils have eclipsed the 100-point threshold three times under Kara Lawson with the 109 points ranking second in the Kara Era - just two shy of the 111 scored against Charleston Southern in 2022-23.

BENCH MOB:

Duke has received a huge lift from its reserves this season, checking in at eighth nationally with 34.4 bench points per game (NCAA rankings as of Jan. 8). Duke has doubled up its foes, outscoring them 516-238.
The Blue Devil bench has registered 50 points on four occasions, erupting for a season-high 58 versus Dayton (11.14), 53 against Wofford (12.18) and 51 versus Belmont (11.21) and Virginia Tech (12.8).
Freshman Toby Fournier (12.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and sophomores Oluchi Okananwa (8.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Jordan Wood (7.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) have led the charge for the Duke reserves.
Fournier has notched double figures in 10 games and surpassed the 20-point mark three times, including a career-high 27 points in the ACC opener against Virginia Tech (12.8).
Reigning ACC Sixth POTY Oluchi Okananwa picked up right where she left off, continuing to inject a jolt of energy off the Duke bench. She has found her groove as of late, notching double digits in four of her last six.
After seeing limited action in 2023-24, Wood has thrived in a larger role and been an instant impact player for the Blue Devils. She has 111 points this season after scoring just 19 in 14 games last year.
The Chicago, Ill., native has posted double figures in four games, notching a career-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting, three rebounds and three steals against Dayton (11.14).
Vanessa de Jesus and Emma Koabel have also provided solid contributions off the bench for the Blue Devils this season.

EFFICIENT DT – THOMAS FLIPS THE SWITCH:

Following a slow start to the season, sophomore forward Delaney Thomas has found her rhythm, seamlessly flipping the switch and emerging as an offensive weapon for the Blue Devils.
Thomas has reached double figures in six of her last nine games, putting up 9.9 points and 4.7 rebounds on 63.3% shooting while averaging 1.2 points per possession. She is shooting 28-of-33 (85%) over her last six games.
During a six-game stretch from Nov. 25-Dec. 18, Thomas reached double figures in four straight and five of six games, averaging 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds on 58% shooting.
The Charles Town, W. Va., product was incredibly efficient from the floor during the final three games of that span, putting up 14.3 points on a blistering 87% clip (1.06 PPP).
Thomas scored 14 points in back-to-back games against No. 3 South Carolina (12.5) and Virginia Tech (12.8), before posting a season-high 15 points against Wofford (12.18).
She was a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor against the Gamecocks, following that with consecutive 6-of-8 shooting performances against the Hokies and Terriers.
Thomas also posted near double-doubles against Kansas State (11.25), Columbia (12.1), Boston College (1.2) and Pittsburgh (1.5).

OKANANWA FINDING THE RHYTHM:

Oluchi Okananwa has found her offensive rhythm over the past month, notching three straight double-figure outings and reaching double digits in four of her last six.
Over her last six contests, Okananwa is putting up 12.0 points on 55% shooting, 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She is averaging 1.01 points per possession during this stretch.
Okananwa posted a season-high 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals in the Blue Devils' victory over Wofford (12.18). Prior to that, the sophomore tallied 12 points in back-to-back games at South Carolina (12.5) and versus Virginia Tech (12.8).
Okananwa collected seven boards against the Gamecocks, then completed the double-double against the Hokies with 12 rebounds while also adding two steals and two blocks to her statline. In the win over Boston College (1.2), Okananwa put up 12 points (4-of-5) and five rebounds.
The sophomore also chipped in nine points, nine boards and three assists at South Florida (12.21), and most recently, seven points, six rebounds and two steals versus Pittsburgh (1.5).

BY THE NUMBERS – ACC PLAY:

When looking at the numbers in ACC play, Duke features one of the league's top offenses and defenses, with the Blue Devils ranked in the top five of 14 categories.
The Blue Devils lead the league in scoring defense (49.7), scoring margin (+29), field goal percentage (.500), three point defense (.188), rebounding defense (31.0), blocks (7.0) and offensive rebound percentage (.448).
Duke checks in at No. 2 in field goal percentage defense (.348), three point percentage (.434), turnover margin (+8.33) and No. 3 in assists (17.3), offensive rebound average (14.3) and rebounding margin (+7.0). The Blue Devils are fifth in scoring offense with 78.7 points per game.

UP NEXT:
Duke caps the weekend with a trip to Charlottesville for a battle with Virginia Sunday, Jan. 12. The contest is set for a 12 p.m., tip live on ACC Network.

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