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#2 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (4-0, 0-0 ACC) AT DUKE BLUE DEVILS (3-0, 0-0 ACC)
Game 4 • Wednesday, Dec. 9 • 7:00 PM
Durham, N.C. • RSN-TV
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Tickets: No fans allowed due to COVID-19
Live Stats: www.GoDuke.com
Radio: Duke Sports Network (WDNC 620 AM, www.GoDuke.com, TuneIn app)
Radio Talent: Chris Edwards (PXP)
TV/Video: ACC Network Extra
TV Talent: Tom Werme (PXP), Kelley Deyo (Color)
Duke Head Coach: Kara Lawson (Tennessee, '03)
Record: 3-0 (1)
Setting the Scene...
After opening the season with three straight wins, the Duke women's basketball team (3-0) will host second-ranked Louisville (4-0) Wednesday, Dec. 9 as the Blue Devils open ACC action in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The game will be aired live on RSN-TV with Tom Werme (PXP) and Kelley Deyo (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 6:45 p.m. (ET).
How to Watch...
Wednesday's contest can be seen on RSN-TV on the following affiliates -- AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh, FOX Sports Midwest Plus, FOX Sports Ohio, FOX Sports Prime Ticket, FOX Sports San Diego, FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Sun, FOX Sports Wisconsin, Marquee Sports Network, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, New England Sports Network and YES Network.
What is Next?...
Duke will hit the road for Coral Gables, Fla., to face Miami on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. The game will be aired on RSN-TV.
A Look at Louisville...
Louisville enters the contest with a 4-0 record. Dana Evans (20.3 points), Hailey Van Lith (16.0), Kianna Smith (15.5) and Olivia Cochran (14.5) are all averaging double-digit scoring.
The Series with Louisville...
Duke and Louisville will meet for the ninth time in school history with the Cardinals leading the series 5-3. In games played in Durham, the Blue Devils own a 3-1 record. Louisville has won three in a row in the series.
Three Keys...
1) Head coach
Kara Lawson opened her Division I collegiate coaching career at Duke with three straight wins of 25 or more points, becoming the first Power Five Conference women's coach in NCAA history to accomplish this mark (had to be in Power Five Conference against a Division I team).
2) Duke will open the season without fans and media in Cameron Indoor Stadium due to COVID-19.
3) Against WCU, Duke tied a school record with 13 made three-pointers and set a record with 33 attempts. The Blue Devils have drained 24 three-pointers over the last two contests.
Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
• In ACC openers, Duke owns a 32-12 overall
record.
• In three games, Duke has featured three different leading scorers --
Jaida Patrick,
Sara Anastasieska and
Miela Goodchild. Duke also has three different student-athletes collect 20+ points in a game as well.
• Duke will face the No. 2 team nationally as the Blue Devils welcome Louisville to Durham Wednesday. Overall, the Blue Devils have two top five opponents on the schedule over the next three contests as Duke will travel to fourth-ranked NC State Sunday, Dec. 20.
• After scoring 33 points all of last year as a rookie,
Jaida Patrick has scored 39 points through three contests on the season.
• Head coach
Kara Lawson will face her first ranked opponent as a collegiate coach. As a student-athlete at Tennessee, Lawson totaled a 65-16 record against ranked foes for an 80.3 percentage.
• Duke currently ranks second nationally with a +24.3 rebounding margin, while Louisville is 13th (16.5).
• The Blue Devils have dished 56 assists on the season through three games and ranks fourth in the ACC with 18.7 assists per game. Duke's defense is allowing only 8.3 assists a game.
• Duke has struggled in each of the last two third quarters, hitting only 30.6 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point land. The Blue Devils are hitting over 50.0 percent from the field in the other quarters for the season -- 1Q (57.1%), 2Q (53.7%), 4Q (53.9%).
• In just her second contest in a Duke uniform, graduate transfer
Sara Anastasieska collected a game-high 23 points as she drained 5-of-13 three-point field goals against Western Carolina.
•
Kara Lawson's playing career has her in elite company as she is one of only three NCAA Division I women's basketball coaches to play in a NCAA Final Four, win an Olympic Gold Medal and win a WNBA Championship (Lindsay Whalen of Minnesota and Cynthia Cooper-Dyke of Texas Southern).
• All five Duke starters reached double-digits in the scoring column in the season opener for the second straight season.
• Junior
Onome Akinbode-James pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds, while scoring a career-high 15 points against Longwood. It marked her third career double-double and she now has notched one double-double in each of her three seasons with the Blue Devils.
• Duke's 94 points in the season opener were the most in a season opener since 1998 at Liberty in
the 2016-17 campaign.
• Sophomore
Jada Claude came off the bench and played 28 minutes against Longwood and pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, while scoring a career-high seven points. She hit 3-of-5 field goals.
• Follow @DukeWBB and @KaraLawson20 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.
Last Meeting...
Duke dropped a close, 60-55, decision at Louisville on Jan. 5, 2020. The Blue Devils led heading into the fourth period, but the Cardinals outscored Duke, 17-10, to close the game.
Haley Gorecki led Duke with 20 points, while
Azana Baines added 15 for the Blue Devils.
Career Highs for the Blue Devils...
All the Blue Devils are stepping up this season under the direction of head coach
Kara Lawson. The team has combined for 39 career highs over the first three contests.
A total of six different Blue Devils registered career highs in the season opener against Longwood, while those six student-athletes had a total of 20 career highs.
Jaida Patrick posted eight career highs (minutes, FGM, FGA, 3PFG made, rebounds, points, assists and steals),
Onome Akinbode-James (FTM, FTA, rebounds, points),
Jade Williams (assists),
Miela Goodchild (FGA),
Jada Claude (FGM, 3PFG attempts, rebounds, points) and
Uchenna Nwoke (points, steals).
The Blue Devils added 15 new career highs in the second contest against WCU -- Williams (rebounds, assists),
Vanessa de Jesus (minutes, FGM, 3PFG made, 3PFG attempts, FTM, rebounds, points, assists),
Sara Anastasieska (FGA, steals), Claude (3PFG made, Nwoke (rebounds, assists).
Against ECU, Patrick (rebounds, assists) and
Mikayla Boykin (FTA, rebounds) had career highs.
Boykin Makes 2020-21 Debut...
After missing the first two games, senior
Mikayla Boykin made her 2020-21 debut against East Carolina.
Boykin was impressive with 10 points, a career-high eight rebounds, four steals and two assists. She was limited to only 15 minutes. Boykin has been limited over the last four years with numerous knee injuries.
Stepping Up...
Through three games, a number of Blue Devils are stepping up their points per game and rebound per game averages from a season ago --
Scoring 2019-20 2020-21 Difference
Jaida Patrick 1.7 13.0 +11.3
Miela Goodchild 7.3 18.0 +10.7
O. Akinbode-James 4.6 8.0 +3.4
Jade Williams 7.3 10.3 +3.0
Jada Claude 1.7 4.7 +3.0
Mikayla Boykin 7.1 10.0 +2.9
Rebounding 2019-20 2020-21 Difference
O. Akinbode-James 5.0 12.0 +7.0
Mikayla Boykin 1.9 8.0 +6.1
Jaida Patrick 1.1 6.3 +5.2
Jade Williams 4.3 9.0 +4.7
Jada Claude 2.4 5.0 +2.6
Miela Goodchild 2.3 4.0 +1.7
Uchenna Nwoke 0.6 2.3 +1.7
Six Blue Devils Averaging 10+ Points...
Duke currently features six Blue Devils averaging double-digit points through three contests. The Blue Devils and NC State are the only two ACC teams to feature this. In fact, no other Associated Press top 25 teams have six players averaging double-digit scoring.
Leading the Blue Devils has been
Miela Goodchild (18.0),
Jaida Patrick (13.0),
Vanessa de Jesus (12.3),
Sara Anastasieska (12.0),
Jade Williams (10.3) and
Mikayla Boykin (10.0).
Quick Starts...
Over the first three contests, Duke has gotten off to hot starts, leading 10-0 against Longwood, 10-2 versus Western Carolina and 15-0 against East Carolina.
The Blue Devils have yet to trail in a contest on the season.
Williams Dishing the Rock...
Through three games, senior center
Jade Williams has dished 17 assists and averaging 5.7 assists a game, which ranks second in the ACC and ranks 43rd nationally.
Williams is the only post player in the top 10 of the ACC assist rankings.
Freshman Impressive Early...
Through three contests to open the season, Duke rookie
Vanessa de Jesus has been impressive averaging 12.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 0.3 blocks. She has had only six turnovers in 99 minutes on the season.
Against WCU, she had 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and only one turnover in 37 minutes. She started the game 6-of-6 from the field, including 3-of-3 from three-point range
In the ACC stats, de Jesus ranks tied for sixth in assists and eighth in assist/turnover ratio (2.2).
She became the first Duke freshman to start at guard in their first game since
Mikayla Boykin in 2017. Her 13 points were the most by a freshman that started their first game since Rebecca Greenwell had 17 in 2014 at Alabama.
Overall, de Jesus is the 30th Duke freshman to start her first collegiate game.