Duke Edges Boston College, 80-75, Behind Four in Double Figures

Sunday, December 31

Durham, N.C.

2 p.m.

Duke University

9-4,1-1ACC

Boston College

8-6,0-1ACC

Boston College

Duke

Taina Mair exclaims after knocking down three

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke Edges Boston College, 80-75, Behind Four in Double Figures

12/31/2023 5:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)Coach Lawson Quotes (PDF)Duke Player Quotes (PDF)Opponent Quotes (PDF)Coach Lawson Presser Mair Postgame Availability Highlights Photo Gallery

DURHAM – Sophomore Taina Mair scored 21 points and rookie Oluchi Okananwa added 16 points to lead the Blue Devils to an 80-75 victory over Boston College in women's basketball action at Cameron Indoor Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Junior Reigan Richardson and sophomore Ashlon Jackson also finished in double figures for Duke with 13 and 12 points apiece, respectively.

The Blue Devils (9-4, 1-1 ACC) shot an impressive 64 percent (30-of-47) from the field and 8-of-14 (57 percent) from distance in the game. On the defensive end, Duke blocked nine shots and held the Eagles (8-5, 0-1 ACC) to just 37 percent shooting from the floor and seven three-pointers on the afternoon.

Mair added three steals and three assists to her stat line and three players – Kennedy Brown, Okananwa and Delaney Thomas – had six rebounds apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Boston College got off to a fast start and held an eight-point lead midway through the first.
Taina Mair got the Blue Devil offense going with back-to-back triples then Delaney Thomas drove baseline for the reverse layup, cutting the deficit to four at the 2:10 mark.
The teams traded buckets over the remainder of the frame with Duke's scoring coming via Ashlon Jackson, an old-fashioned three-point play from Oluchi Okananwa and a Reigan Richardson midrange jay – the latter pulling Duke within a point.
The Blue Devils closed the opening quarter cashing in eight of its last 11 attempts, but it was the visitors who held the slim, 23-22, advantage after one.
Duke won the second quarter, outscoring the Eagles 25-20 across the 10-minute period that featured two ties and eight lead changes.
After a back-and-forth start to the period, the Blue Devils were able to create some separation as they parlayed a 7-1 run into a 42-36 lead with 2:30 left in the half.
Mair (13) and Okananwa (10) paced the first-half efforts, as Duke took a 47-43 margin into the break.
The Blue Devils held a 64-56 margin on the scoreboard heading into the final quarter. Five Duke players scored in the third quarter – Jadyn Donovan, Mair and Okananwa each with four.
Duke and Boston College scored 16 points apiece in the fourth.
Boston College launched a mini rally at the top of the frame and pulled within a pair, 66-64, with 8:28 remaining.
The Blue Devils had a counter of their own, pushing their lead back to nine (73-64) following five straight from Richardson and a score by Mair.
The Eagles tried another late comeback but Duke thwarted the attempt, sinking seven free throws down the stretch to lock up the victory.

GAME NOTES

Now winners of four straight, Duke improves to 9-4 this season and 1-1 in ACC play.
In the all-time series against Boston College, Duke now holds an 18-6 advantage over the Eagles, including a 10-2 mark in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Blue Devils finished the game with impressive shooting splits from the field (63.8), beyond the arc (57.1) and the charity stripe (80.0). The field goal and three-point percentages are both season highs.
Duke tallied 17 assists on 30 made field goals.
Sunday's game also marks the first time in seven seasons the Blue Devils have finished the game shooting 60 percent or better from the floor. The last time this happened was Nov. 25, 2016, against Long Beach State.
Duke shot a blistering 71.4 percent (20-for-28) from the field in the opening half, tied for the third highest first-half field goal percentage by Duke all-time.
The 73.3-percent shooting clip by the Blue Devils in the second period ranks seventh all-time on the Duke charts for highest shooting percentage in the quarter.
Four players finished in double figures for Duke – Taina Mair (21), Oluchi Okananwa (16), Reigan Richardson (13) and Ashlon Jackson (12).
Graduate student Camilla Emsbo finished one rejection shy of matching her career high in blocks, finishing the game with four.
Jackson dropped five dimes against the Eagles, just one assist off her career high. Mair, Okananwa and Richardson combined for nine of Duke's remaining assists with three apiece.
The Blue Devils have now held 12 of their 13 opponents this season below their respective scoring averages. The Eagles scored 75 points, three fewer than their average of 78.2.
Duke won the battle in bench points (18-15) and fastbreak points (14-10).

UP NEXT
Duke hits the road for its next two contests beginning with a trip to Louisville, Ky., for a date with the Cardinals on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m., live on ACC Network.

To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."

#GoDuke