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Friday, November 13
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Duke University
57
at
50
Penn
No. 14 Duke Tops Penn 57-50 in Season Opener
11/13/2015 10:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA – The 14th-ranked Duke women's basketball team overcame a third quarter deficit to top Penn, 57-50, in the season opener Friday evening at The Palestra. The Blue Devils tallied 14 unanswered points inside the final seven minutes to hold off an upset-minded Quaker squad for their first victory of the season.
Sophomore Azurá Stevens totaled 15 points and freshman Kyra Lambert added 12 as Duke persevered through a tough shooting night. The team finished just 19-of-49 (38.8 percent) from the floor but outrebounded Penn 44-29 and took advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line, sinking 15 of 20 attempts.
Trailing 41-37 after three quarters of play, Duke put together a 10-0 run punctuated by a Stevens three-pointer to regain the lead. The Raleigh, N.C., native added a layup less than a minute later to give the Blue Devils a six-point cushion at 51-45 with 2:45 to go.
Duke used its size inside to extend the run and limited the Quakers to just four points in the final quarter before Lauren Whitlatch recorded her sixth basket from long range. However, the Blue Devils were able to run out the clock for the seven-point road victory.
The teams got off to a slow shooting start before Lambert drained a trey midway through the first period. Duke held the Quakers to just two of their first 17 field goal attempts to take an 11-4 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Turnovers plagued the Blue Devils throughout the early part of the contest, allowing Penn to pull within five on a Beth Brzozowski trey. Stevens and redshirt sophomore Rebecca Greenwell were both limited by foul trouble but freshman Haley Gorecki came off the bench to contribute four points and junior Oderah Chidom added six rebounds. The Quakers continued to capitalize on Duke miscues, though, matching the Blue Devils' 12 second quarter points to bring the score to 23-16 at the intermission.
Penn narrowed it to a three-point game at the beginning of the third quarter on a pair of threes by Whitlatch. After Duke stretched the lead back to seven, the Quakers connected on two more from behind the arc and converted a three-point play to swing the lead to 36-35 in their favor with 3:46 remaining in the quarter.
Whitlatch then gave Penn its sixth trey of the period, helping the home squad outscore the Blue Devils 25-14 in the third frame.
Chidom pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, while Greenwell rounded out the contest with nine points and joined graduate student Amber Henson with eight boards.
Up next, Duke faces Winthrop in its home opener in Cameron Indoor Stadium Sunday at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on Blue Devil Network Plus.
#GoDuke
Sophomore Azurá Stevens totaled 15 points and freshman Kyra Lambert added 12 as Duke persevered through a tough shooting night. The team finished just 19-of-49 (38.8 percent) from the floor but outrebounded Penn 44-29 and took advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line, sinking 15 of 20 attempts.
Trailing 41-37 after three quarters of play, Duke put together a 10-0 run punctuated by a Stevens three-pointer to regain the lead. The Raleigh, N.C., native added a layup less than a minute later to give the Blue Devils a six-point cushion at 51-45 with 2:45 to go.
Duke used its size inside to extend the run and limited the Quakers to just four points in the final quarter before Lauren Whitlatch recorded her sixth basket from long range. However, the Blue Devils were able to run out the clock for the seven-point road victory.
The teams got off to a slow shooting start before Lambert drained a trey midway through the first period. Duke held the Quakers to just two of their first 17 field goal attempts to take an 11-4 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Turnovers plagued the Blue Devils throughout the early part of the contest, allowing Penn to pull within five on a Beth Brzozowski trey. Stevens and redshirt sophomore Rebecca Greenwell were both limited by foul trouble but freshman Haley Gorecki came off the bench to contribute four points and junior Oderah Chidom added six rebounds. The Quakers continued to capitalize on Duke miscues, though, matching the Blue Devils' 12 second quarter points to bring the score to 23-16 at the intermission.
Penn narrowed it to a three-point game at the beginning of the third quarter on a pair of threes by Whitlatch. After Duke stretched the lead back to seven, the Quakers connected on two more from behind the arc and converted a three-point play to swing the lead to 36-35 in their favor with 3:46 remaining in the quarter.
Whitlatch then gave Penn its sixth trey of the period, helping the home squad outscore the Blue Devils 25-14 in the third frame.
Chidom pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, while Greenwell rounded out the contest with nine points and joined graduate student Amber Henson with eight boards.
Up next, Duke faces Winthrop in its home opener in Cameron Indoor Stadium Sunday at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on Blue Devil Network Plus.
#GoDuke
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