No. 8 Duke Downs No. 21 Baylor 69-46 to Advance to Sweet 16

Sunday, March 22

Durham, N.C.

4 p.m.

Duke University

26-8,16-2ACC

Baylor

25-9,13-5Big 12

Baylor

Duke

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 8 Duke Downs No. 21 Baylor 69-46 to Advance to Sweet 16

3/22/2026 7:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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DURHAM, N.C. – Duke center Arianna Roberson registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds and four Blue Devils scored double digits in a commanding 69-46 victory over No. 21 Baylor in NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament second round action inside Cameron Indoor Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Eighth-ranked Duke (26-8) advances to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive season. Baylor concludes its season with a 25-9 overall record.

Delaney Thomas led all scorers with 17 points, while Toby Fournier contributed 15 in just 22 minutes of action. Ashlon Jackson totaled 12, while Taina Mair posted an impressive all-around effort of nine points, seven rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Thomas also corralled seven rebounds, blocked two shots and collected three steals in a stellar defensive performance.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Thomas scored Duke's first four points as the Blue Devils forced the Bears into four early turnovers. Duke, getting a transition layup from Thomas and three points from Fournier, built the lead to 9-0 at the midway point of the opening quarter.
Duke's defense was stout in the first five minutes, holding Baylor to 0-of-6 from the floor and turning the Bears over five times to take the 9-0 edge in the media timeout.
Baylor finally got on the board with four minutes left and put back and offensive rebound to pull within five, 9-4.
A seventh turnover by the Bears led to a Jackson three that extended Duke's lead to 12-4. The Blue Devils and Baylor traded baskets in the final two minutes, sending Duke into the first break with a 16-8 lead.
Defense remained the name of the game for the Blue Devils in the second quarter. Duke kept Baylor off balance on offense, taking advantage of the five turnovers to stretch the lead to 28-12 and force the Bears into a timeout.
The Blue Devils outscored Baylor 10-4 in the final four minutes of the second period to take a 38-16 lead into the locker room. Duke turned Baylor over 17 times and held the Bears to 29 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
The third quarter was a nearly even affair on the scoreboard with Duke holding a slight 16-13 edge. Baylor continued to struggle with Duke's defense as seven of its 13 points in the quarter came from the free-throw line. The Bears shot just 18 percent in the period compared to Duke's 40 percent.
Baylor won the fourth quarter, 17-15, but was never able to get into any kind of offensive rhythm in the 69-46 defeat. The Blue Devils held the Bears to just 30 percent shooting for the game and to zero three-pointers.
Taliah Scott led Baylor with 13 points, getting seven points from the free throw line.

UP NEXT

Duke takes on No. 2 seed LSU in the Sweet 16, Friday, March 27 in Sacramento, California.

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