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DWB Closes Road Swing at Syracuse Thursday
1/22/2020 6:04:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Setting the Scene...
   The Duke women's basketball team (9-8, 3-4 ACC) will travel to Syracuse, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 23 to take on Syracuse (9-8, 3-3) with an 8 p.m., in the Carrier Dome. Â
   The game will be aired live on ACC Network with Jenn Hildreth (PXP) and LaChina Robinson (Color). It will also be carried on the Duke Sports Network via WDNC AM 620, TuneIn app and www.GoDuke.com with Chris Edwards (PXP) on the air beginning at 7:45 p.m. (ET).
What is Next?...
   Duke will return to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first of three straight home games starting Sunday, Jan. 26 as the Blue Devils will host Georgia Tech at 2 p.m., live on ACC Network Extra. Â
Three Keys...
   1) Haley Gorecki is the only player nationally to average over 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals. Â
   2) Leaonna Odom came up big at Clemson with her third game of the season with 20 or more points as she notched 20 points, four rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot in 37 minutes. She hit 8-of-15 field goals.
   3) Leaonna Odom and Haley Gorecki (1,150) currently rank 28th and 29th on Duke's all-time scoring list. Odom (1,203) needs seven points to tie Chelsea Gray for 27th. Â
Strength of Schedule...
   The Blue Devils feature the fifth-toughest schedule nationally -- Virginia (1), Oklahoma (2), Miami (3), Missouri (4) and Duke (5) round out the top five. Â
   Duke's five non-conference losses in 2019-20 came against teams that have collected a combined 82-12 record. Â
   The Blue Devils are currently ranked No. 49 in the latest RPI.
Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
   •   In the ACC stats, Duke leads the league with 10.5 steals per game.
   •   Duke's six-game losing streak on the road is the longest since the Blue Devils had a six-game streak from the 1993-94 into the 1994-95 campaign. The longest road losing streak in school history was 14 from the 1975-78 seasons. Duke also had a seven-game streak in 1989-90 and a six-game streak in 1988-89. Â
   •   Haley Gorecki averaged 36.1 minutes a contest last season and is averaging 35.8 minutes in 2019-20. She would become the first Blue Devil to average 35.0 minutes or more in back-to-back seasons. Â
   •   Duke trailed, 40-33, heading into the fourth quarter against Notre Dame and rallied for a 50-47 victory. It was the Blue Devils' largest comeback in the fourth quarter since the NCAA moved to the quarter system in 2015-16. Â
   •   Haley Gorecki currently ranks second in the ACC with 93 made free throws and third with 109 attempts, while ranking third with an 85.3 free throw percentage.
   •   Duke limited Virginia Tech to only seven points over the final 12 minutes of the overtime contest. The 72 points by the Blue Devils snapped a streak of Duke scoring 63 points or fewer over the last five games.
   •   For the fifth time this season, Duke had five players hit at least one three-pointer against Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils also accomplished this against High Point and Boston College. Duke had not featured five different players hitting a trey since the 2014-15 campaign when it did it twice. Â
   •   Duke's 39 bench points against Virginia Tech was a season high and the most since Nov. 16, 2014 versus Alabama.
   •   Since scoring 15 points at Louisville, Azana Baines has scored seven points and hit only 2-of-16 field goals.
   •   Leaonna Odom ranks fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage, at 51.7 percent per game.
   •   Haley Gorecki (2nd), Leaonna Odom (T5th), and Miela Goodchild (12th) all rank in the top 12 in the ACC in steals per game – Gorecki at 2.22 spg, Odom at 2.00 spg, and Goodchild at 1.61 spg.
   •   After scoring double-digits in three straight games, Onome Akinbode-James has scored only 16 points the last nine contests. Â
   •   Duke features the fourth-tallest squad in school history standing with an average height of 73.21. The three tallest teams were in 2016-17 (73.38), 2011-12 and 2014-15 (73.25).
   •   Follow @DukeWBB and @CoachPDuke on Twitter to get the latest updates on Duke women's basketball. Also, "Like" Duke Women's Basketball on Facebook to get the latest videos, pictures and more. DWB is on Instagram at dukewbb. Â
The Series with Syracuse..
   Duke and Syracuse will meet for the ninth time in school history with the Blue Devils leading the series 5-3. The Orange has won two straight meetings and has totaled a 2-1 record in games played at Syracuse, including two straight wins. Â
   Coach P owns a 4-3 mark versus the Orange. Â
Tough Defense...
   In ACC contests, Duke's defense has been among the best in the conference in a number of key categories.
   In seven league games, Duke's defense ranks in the top five in scoring defense (5th, 62.14), field goal percentage defense (5th, 38.3), steals (1st, 11.29) and three-point field goal percentage defense (2nd, 26.6).
Tight League Games...
   Duke has been so close in ACC play but has not been able to close out most of the games. Â
   Six of Duke's seven ACC games have been decided by six points or less. It is one away from tying the school record of seven set in 1995-96 and 1988-89.
   Meanwhile, other seasons with six games decided by 6 points or less: 2008-09, 1994-95, 1993-94, 1989-90, 1987-88, 1986-87 and 1984-85.
   The 1988-89 season all occurred during the regular season, but all other seasons included games played in the ACC Tournament.
Best All-Around Player...
   No Duke player has averaged at least 17.0 points, 3.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds in back-to-back seasons. Haley Gorecki averaged 17.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 7.1 rebounds last year and is averaging 17.8 points, 3.9 assists and 6.5 rebounds this year.
   Alana Beard came closest to these thresholds, averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in her sophomore year and 22.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 6.9 rebounds her junior year.
      At Clemson, Gorecki totaled 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. It marked her second time over the last two years she has notched all-around numbers like this (16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals vs. Pitt on Feb. 3, 2019). She is one of only three Duke players to register numbers like this since the 2011 campaign -- Lexie Brown (twice), Jasmine Thomas.
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Boykin Provides Spark...
   After missing most of the last two seasons with knee injuries, redshirt freshman Mikayla Boykin returned to action Jan. 2 versus Wake Forest. She scored two points in nine minutes, while dishing two assists. Â
   She made a big impact on the road at Virginia in only her third game back as she scored a season-high 11 points, had three assists, one steal and hit 2-of-3 treys. She was even better versus Virginia Tech with a career-high 14 points, three assists and one steal in 22 minutes. Boykin scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half and overtime.
   Boykin scored eight of her 10 points in the second half against Notre Dame to help lead Duke to the win, including the go-ahead bucket. Â
   Boykin had averaged 11.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals over three games prior to being held scoreless at Clemson.
Double-Doubles/20-Point Games...
   Haley Gorecki owns four double-doubles on the season, which ranks tied for ninth in the ACC. She also ranks tied for fifth with six games with 20 or more points.
   Over the last two years, Gorecki has notched 17 games with 20 or more points, which is the most in the ACC.
20+ Point Games Last Two Seasons
17Â Â Â Haley Gorecki, Duke
15Â Â Â Kiah Gillespie, Florida State
15Â Â Â Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia
14Â Â Â Elissa Cunane, NC State
13Â Â Â Nausia Woolfolk, Florida State
13Â Â Â Janelle Bailey, UNC
In the ACC Stats...
   Haley Gorecki continues to showcase she is one of the best all-around players in the nation as she currently ranks in the top 15 of the following ACC stat categories --
Scoring (4th, 17.8)
Assists (8th, 3.9)
Free Throw Percentage (3rd, 85.3)
Field Goal Percentage (15th, 40.7)
Steals (2nd, 2.2)
Three-Point Field Goals Made (T13th, 1.94)
Minutes Played (5th, 35.58)
One of Only Three in ACC...
   Haley Gorecki, along with Dana Evans (Louisville) and Kiara Lewis (Syracuse), are the only players in the ACC who rank in the top five in the conference in scoring and top 10 in assists.
Haley Gorecki (17.8 ppg, 3.9 assists)
Dana Evans (19.1 ppg., 4.3 assists)
Kiara Lewis (17.9 ppg., 5.3 assists)
Impressive Against ACC...
   In seven conference contests, Haley Gorecki ranks third the ACC in scoring (19.6) and her 137 points is the second-most in league play. Â
   She ranks eighth in field goal percentage (45.7), eighth in free throw percentage (81.3) and tied for 10th in three-point percentage (34.9).
   Gorecki also ranks tied for eighth in assists (4.1), first in steals (2.9) and 17th in rebounding (6.6).
Tough Non-Conference Slate...
   Of Duke's 11 non-conference opponents in 2019-20, eight of those have winning records. Overall, the Blue Devil opponents have combined for a 140-52 mark so far through Jan. 20.
       Here is a closer look - High Point (6-10), Texas A&M (15-3), UNLV (9-9), Northwestern (16-2), Idaho State (7-9), Troy (14-3), Davidson (12-6), Penn (10-3), Nebraska (14-4), South Carolina (18-1) and FGCU (19-2).
       Duke's five losses came to teams with a combined 82-12 record.
On the Road in 2019-20...
   The Blue Devils have collected a 1-7 record on the road this season and are averaging only 59.0 points per contest. Duke has lost six straight and have been held to 63 or fewer points in five in a row. Â
   Over the last four road games, Haley Gorecki has averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals. She has hit 10-of-28 three-point field goals during the streak. Â
Duke's Gorecki Moving Up Charts...
   Over her career, graduate Haley Gorecki owns 145 three-pointers made, which ranks ninth on Duke's all-time charts. Â
   Gorecki already ranks seventh on the Blue Devil three-pointers attempted list with 450.
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Setting the Scene...
   The Duke women's basketball team (9-8, 3-4 ACC) will travel to Syracuse, N.Y., Thursday, Jan. 23 to take on Syracuse (9-8, 3-3) with an 8 p.m., in the Carrier Dome. Â
   The game will be aired live on ACC Network with Jenn Hildreth (PXP) and LaChina Robinson (Color). It will also be carried on the Duke Sports Network via WDNC AM 620, TuneIn app and www.GoDuke.com with Chris Edwards (PXP) on the air beginning at 7:45 p.m. (ET).
What is Next?...
   Duke will return to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first of three straight home games starting Sunday, Jan. 26 as the Blue Devils will host Georgia Tech at 2 p.m., live on ACC Network Extra. Â
Three Keys...
   1) Haley Gorecki is the only player nationally to average over 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals. Â
   2) Leaonna Odom came up big at Clemson with her third game of the season with 20 or more points as she notched 20 points, four rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot in 37 minutes. She hit 8-of-15 field goals.
   3) Leaonna Odom and Haley Gorecki (1,150) currently rank 28th and 29th on Duke's all-time scoring list. Odom (1,203) needs seven points to tie Chelsea Gray for 27th. Â
Strength of Schedule...
   The Blue Devils feature the fifth-toughest schedule nationally -- Virginia (1), Oklahoma (2), Miami (3), Missouri (4) and Duke (5) round out the top five. Â
   Duke's five non-conference losses in 2019-20 came against teams that have collected a combined 82-12 record. Â
   The Blue Devils are currently ranked No. 49 in the latest RPI.
Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
   •   In the ACC stats, Duke leads the league with 10.5 steals per game.
   •   Duke's six-game losing streak on the road is the longest since the Blue Devils had a six-game streak from the 1993-94 into the 1994-95 campaign. The longest road losing streak in school history was 14 from the 1975-78 seasons. Duke also had a seven-game streak in 1989-90 and a six-game streak in 1988-89. Â
   •   Haley Gorecki averaged 36.1 minutes a contest last season and is averaging 35.8 minutes in 2019-20. She would become the first Blue Devil to average 35.0 minutes or more in back-to-back seasons. Â
   •   Duke trailed, 40-33, heading into the fourth quarter against Notre Dame and rallied for a 50-47 victory. It was the Blue Devils' largest comeback in the fourth quarter since the NCAA moved to the quarter system in 2015-16. Â
   •   Haley Gorecki currently ranks second in the ACC with 93 made free throws and third with 109 attempts, while ranking third with an 85.3 free throw percentage.
   •   Duke limited Virginia Tech to only seven points over the final 12 minutes of the overtime contest. The 72 points by the Blue Devils snapped a streak of Duke scoring 63 points or fewer over the last five games.
   •   For the fifth time this season, Duke had five players hit at least one three-pointer against Virginia Tech. The Blue Devils also accomplished this against High Point and Boston College. Duke had not featured five different players hitting a trey since the 2014-15 campaign when it did it twice. Â
   •   Duke's 39 bench points against Virginia Tech was a season high and the most since Nov. 16, 2014 versus Alabama.
   •   Since scoring 15 points at Louisville, Azana Baines has scored seven points and hit only 2-of-16 field goals.
   •   Leaonna Odom ranks fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage, at 51.7 percent per game.
   •   Haley Gorecki (2nd), Leaonna Odom (T5th), and Miela Goodchild (12th) all rank in the top 12 in the ACC in steals per game – Gorecki at 2.22 spg, Odom at 2.00 spg, and Goodchild at 1.61 spg.
   •   After scoring double-digits in three straight games, Onome Akinbode-James has scored only 16 points the last nine contests. Â
   •   Duke features the fourth-tallest squad in school history standing with an average height of 73.21. The three tallest teams were in 2016-17 (73.38), 2011-12 and 2014-15 (73.25).
   •   Follow @DukeWBB and @CoachPDuke on Twitter to get the latest updates on Duke women's basketball. Also, "Like" Duke Women's Basketball on Facebook to get the latest videos, pictures and more. DWB is on Instagram at dukewbb. Â
The Series with Syracuse..
   Duke and Syracuse will meet for the ninth time in school history with the Blue Devils leading the series 5-3. The Orange has won two straight meetings and has totaled a 2-1 record in games played at Syracuse, including two straight wins. Â
   Coach P owns a 4-3 mark versus the Orange. Â
Tough Defense...
   In ACC contests, Duke's defense has been among the best in the conference in a number of key categories.
   In seven league games, Duke's defense ranks in the top five in scoring defense (5th, 62.14), field goal percentage defense (5th, 38.3), steals (1st, 11.29) and three-point field goal percentage defense (2nd, 26.6).
Tight League Games...
   Duke has been so close in ACC play but has not been able to close out most of the games. Â
   Six of Duke's seven ACC games have been decided by six points or less. It is one away from tying the school record of seven set in 1995-96 and 1988-89.
   Meanwhile, other seasons with six games decided by 6 points or less: 2008-09, 1994-95, 1993-94, 1989-90, 1987-88, 1986-87 and 1984-85.
   The 1988-89 season all occurred during the regular season, but all other seasons included games played in the ACC Tournament.
Best All-Around Player...
   No Duke player has averaged at least 17.0 points, 3.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds in back-to-back seasons. Haley Gorecki averaged 17.2 points, 3.9 assists, and 7.1 rebounds last year and is averaging 17.8 points, 3.9 assists and 6.5 rebounds this year.
   Alana Beard came closest to these thresholds, averaging 19.8 points, 4.4 assists, and 6.1 rebounds in her sophomore year and 22.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 6.9 rebounds her junior year.
      At Clemson, Gorecki totaled 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. It marked her second time over the last two years she has notched all-around numbers like this (16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals vs. Pitt on Feb. 3, 2019). She is one of only three Duke players to register numbers like this since the 2011 campaign -- Lexie Brown (twice), Jasmine Thomas.
  Â
Boykin Provides Spark...
   After missing most of the last two seasons with knee injuries, redshirt freshman Mikayla Boykin returned to action Jan. 2 versus Wake Forest. She scored two points in nine minutes, while dishing two assists. Â
   She made a big impact on the road at Virginia in only her third game back as she scored a season-high 11 points, had three assists, one steal and hit 2-of-3 treys. She was even better versus Virginia Tech with a career-high 14 points, three assists and one steal in 22 minutes. Boykin scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half and overtime.
   Boykin scored eight of her 10 points in the second half against Notre Dame to help lead Duke to the win, including the go-ahead bucket. Â
   Boykin had averaged 11.7 points, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals over three games prior to being held scoreless at Clemson.
Double-Doubles/20-Point Games...
   Haley Gorecki owns four double-doubles on the season, which ranks tied for ninth in the ACC. She also ranks tied for fifth with six games with 20 or more points.
   Over the last two years, Gorecki has notched 17 games with 20 or more points, which is the most in the ACC.
20+ Point Games Last Two Seasons
17Â Â Â Haley Gorecki, Duke
15Â Â Â Kiah Gillespie, Florida State
15Â Â Â Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia
14Â Â Â Elissa Cunane, NC State
13Â Â Â Nausia Woolfolk, Florida State
13Â Â Â Janelle Bailey, UNC
In the ACC Stats...
   Haley Gorecki continues to showcase she is one of the best all-around players in the nation as she currently ranks in the top 15 of the following ACC stat categories --
Scoring (4th, 17.8)
Assists (8th, 3.9)
Free Throw Percentage (3rd, 85.3)
Field Goal Percentage (15th, 40.7)
Steals (2nd, 2.2)
Three-Point Field Goals Made (T13th, 1.94)
Minutes Played (5th, 35.58)
One of Only Three in ACC...
   Haley Gorecki, along with Dana Evans (Louisville) and Kiara Lewis (Syracuse), are the only players in the ACC who rank in the top five in the conference in scoring and top 10 in assists.
Haley Gorecki (17.8 ppg, 3.9 assists)
Dana Evans (19.1 ppg., 4.3 assists)
Kiara Lewis (17.9 ppg., 5.3 assists)
Impressive Against ACC...
   In seven conference contests, Haley Gorecki ranks third the ACC in scoring (19.6) and her 137 points is the second-most in league play. Â
   She ranks eighth in field goal percentage (45.7), eighth in free throw percentage (81.3) and tied for 10th in three-point percentage (34.9).
   Gorecki also ranks tied for eighth in assists (4.1), first in steals (2.9) and 17th in rebounding (6.6).
Tough Non-Conference Slate...
   Of Duke's 11 non-conference opponents in 2019-20, eight of those have winning records. Overall, the Blue Devil opponents have combined for a 140-52 mark so far through Jan. 20.
       Here is a closer look - High Point (6-10), Texas A&M (15-3), UNLV (9-9), Northwestern (16-2), Idaho State (7-9), Troy (14-3), Davidson (12-6), Penn (10-3), Nebraska (14-4), South Carolina (18-1) and FGCU (19-2).
       Duke's five losses came to teams with a combined 82-12 record.
On the Road in 2019-20...
   The Blue Devils have collected a 1-7 record on the road this season and are averaging only 59.0 points per contest. Duke has lost six straight and have been held to 63 or fewer points in five in a row. Â
   Over the last four road games, Haley Gorecki has averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals. She has hit 10-of-28 three-point field goals during the streak. Â
Duke's Gorecki Moving Up Charts...
   Over her career, graduate Haley Gorecki owns 145 three-pointers made, which ranks ninth on Duke's all-time charts. Â
   Gorecki already ranks seventh on the Blue Devil three-pointers attempted list with 450.
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