Blue Devil Rally Falls Short at South Florida, 65-56

Saturday, December 21

Tampa, Fla.

12 p.m.

Duke University

10-3,1-0ACC

South Florida

7-6,0-0AAC

Duke

South Fla.

Jordan Wood goes up for a layup at South Florida

Photo by: Nat LeDonne / Duke Athletics

Blue Devil Rally Falls Short at South Florida, 65-56

12/21/2024 3:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)

TAMPA, Fla. – Ninth-ranked Duke rallied from an early 23-point deficit and pulled within three early in the fourth quarter, but couldn't complete the comeback as the Blue Devils fell to South Florida, 65-56, Saturday afternoon at the Yuengling Center.

Freshman Toby Fournier paced Duke (10-3) with 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks while junior Taina Mair and sophomore Oluchi Okananwa chipped in nine points apiece. Okananwa snagged a team-high nine rebounds and dished out three assists to round out her afternoon. Mair dropped four dimes and collected three steals. Senior Reigan Richardson tied Mair for the team high in assists to go with her eight points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

South Florida held a 20-6 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
Sophomores Okananwa, Delaney Thomas and Jordan Wood were the Blue Devil scorers in the first quarter.
Fournier (4) and Richardson (2) joined in on the scoring action for Duke in the second period, while Wood knocked down 3-of-4 at the charity stripe.
The Blue Devil defense closed the period strong and held USF scoreless for the final 2:16 of the frame, but it was the home team that took a 15-point lead into the break, 33-18.
Duke found its offensive groove in the third period, outscoring the Bulls 21-9 during the quarter to pull within six, 42-36. Fournier and Okananwa led five Duke scorers with six and five points, respectively.
The Blue Devils assisted on six of their seven field goals and had just one turnover during the 10-minute stanza. Defensively, Duke held USF to 29-percent shooting and forced six Bull turnovers.
Duke kept the pressure on in the fourth, with junior Ashlon Jackson, Mair and Okananwa combining for 15 of the team's 20 points.
Mair cashed in a triple at the start of the fourth to bring the Blue Devils within three at 42-39, but the home team responded with two quick buckets to push its lead back to eight.
Duke continued to battle over the remainder of the period, but timely baskets and clutch free throw shooting by South Florida allowed them to keep the Blue Devils at bay and secure the nine-point victory.

NOTES:

Duke concludes non-conference play with a record of 9-3. All three of the Blue Devils' losses have come on the road.
The Blue Devils finish their non-league slate with at least nine wins for the third time in four seasons. Duke totaled 10 wins in 2022-23 and nine in 2021-22.
Saturday marked the first time this season Duke failed to reach the 70-point threshold or have at least three players finish in double figures, snapping a 12 game streak.
The Blue Devils won the superlative stats battle, holding the advantage in three of five categories - bench points (25-5), second chance points (16-11) and points off turnovers (12-11).
Duke assisted on 57% of its field goals against South Florida with 12 dimes on 21 buckets.
Duke's first quarter (6), second quarter (9) and first half (15) point totals, as well as its second quarter (.214) and overall field goal percentage (.389) marked season lows for the Blue Devils.
Freshman Toby Fournier paced Duke with 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks off the bench – the latter matching a career high. She has reached double figures in nine games this season and finished with the team high in points five times, including the last three games.
Sophomore Oluchi Okananwa posted a near double-double with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds, also adding three assists to her statline. It marks Okananwa's eighth game this season, and 33rd of her career, with five or more rebounds.
Junior Taina Mair also chipped in nine points while quarterbacking the Duke offense with four assists. Mair also tallied three rebounds and three steals.
Reigan Richardson tallied eight points and dished out four helpers of her own, tying Mair for the team high. The senior continues to showcase her playmaking ability with 21 assists over her last three outings.

UP NEXT:
Duke resumes ACC play, unwrapping the New Year at Boston College Jan. 2 at 7 p.m., live on ACCNX.

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

50 Seasons of Duke Women's Basketball
The 2024-25 season marks the 50th anniversary of Duke women's basketball, a program rich in tradition, excellence and success. From its early foundations to national dominance, the Blue Devils have become a powerhouse in both athletics and academics. Join us in commemorating five decades of sisterhood, championships and iconic moments as we set the stage for the next 50 years. For more information, please visit goduke.com/WBB50.

#GoDuke