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Duke Hosts UNC in 100th Meeting Thursday
2/5/2020 10:16:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Setting the Scene...
The Duke women's basketball team (11-10, 5-5 ACC) will close a three-game homestand Thursday, Feb. 6 as the Blue Devils host North Carolina (16-6, 7-4) in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6 p.m. It will mark the 100th all-time meeting in one of the best rivalries in the NCAA.
The game will be aired live on the ACC Network with Jenn Hildreth (PXP) and LaChina Robinson (Color) calling the action. 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 5:45 p.m. (ET).
What is Next?...
Duke will hit the road for two straight contests at Miami (Feb. 9) and at Pittsburgh (Feb. 13). The Blue Devils and Hurricanes will tip at 2 p.m., in Coral Gables, Fla.
Three Keys...
1) Duke has lost five ACC games by a combined 19 points. All five of the losses have been within five points.
2) Haley Gorecki is the only player nationally to average over 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
3) Leaonna Odom is currently in 24th place on Duke's all-time scoring list with 1,255 points and is one point from matching current Duke assistant coach Wanisha Smith (1,256) for 23rd. Haley Gorecki (1,208) needs two points to match Chelsea Gray (1,210) for 28th on Duke's scoring ledger.
Strength of Schedule...
The Blue Devils feature the fifth-toughest schedule nationally -- Virginia (1), Oklahoma (2), Missouri (3), Ohio State (4) and Duke (5) round out the top five.
Duke's five non-conference losses in 2019-20 came against teams that have collected a combined 95-17 record.
The Blue Devils are currently ranked No. 42 in the latest RPI.
Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
• Kyra Lambert will step on the floor Thursday against UNC for the first time since 2017. Over the last three games against the Tar Heels, she has averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists. This included 12 points, 13 assists and six boards in her last meeting on Feb. 26, 2017.
• Duke has gone to the free throw line only 12 times the last two games and made 10 of those attempts. It is the fewest attempts in a two-game stretch this season.
• Over the last two games against UNC, Jade Williams has averaged 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals. She has hit 13-of-21 field goals. Williams notched a double-double in the last meeting with 15 points and 13 boards.
• Duke had a six-game streak of notching 10 or more assists come to an end against NC State as the Blue Devils finished with nine.
• Leaonna Odom has averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals over the last two games against North Carolina.
• Graduate Kyra Lambert is coming off registering a season-high 13 points against NC State and hit a season-high three three-pointers on nine attempts.
• Leaonna Odom has come up big the last four games averaging 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.5 assists. She was named ACC Player of the Week and USBWA National Player of the Week for her efforts last week.
• In ACC games, Haley Gorecki and Leaonna Odom have combined to average 33.4 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Gorecki leads the ACC in scoring at 19.5 points per contest.
• In the ACC stats, Duke leads the league with 10.7 steals per game and ranks 26th nationally.
• In the 11 Duke wins, the Blue Devils have averaged 75.9 points and hit 46.3 percent from the field. In the 10 losses, the Blue Devils have averaged 57.5 points and hit 37.3 percent from the field.
• Sophomore Onome Akinbode-James pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds against Georgia Tech. It marked her second game with double-digit rebounds this season and the fifth of her career.
• Haley Gorecki averaged 36.1 minutes a contest last season and is averaging 36.2 minutes in 2019-20. She would become the first Blue Devil to average 35.0 minutes or more in back-to-back seasons.
• 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.
• Haley Gorecki currently ranks tied for second in the ACC with 108 made free throws and fourth with 127 attempts, while ranking third with an 85.0 free throw percentage.
• 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.
• Leaonna Odom ranks fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage, at 53.7 percent per game.
• Haley Gorecki (3rd), Leaonna Odom (6th), and Miela Goodchild (15th) all rank in the top 15 in the ACC in steals per game – Gorecki at 2.19 spg, Odom at 2.00 spg, and Goodchild at 1.48 spg.
• 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.
The Series with North Carolina..
Duke and North Carolina will meet for the 100th time in school history with the Tar Heels leading the series, 50-49. The Blue Devils have won three in a row and 10 out of the last 11 contests.
In games played in Durham, N.C., Duke has totaled a 27-15 record, including five in a row. The Blue Devils have won 10 out of the last 11.
Coach P owns a 19-11 record versus the Tar Heels.
Gorecki Against the Tar Heels...
In three career games against North Carolina, Haley Gorecki has averaged 22.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 steals. She has notched double-doubles in two straight games and was one rebound shy of another double-double in her first meeting with the Tar Heels in 2018. She has drained 11 treys in three contests.
Prior to scoring 11 points last year in Durham, Gorecki had averaged 28.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals against UNC in her first two contests against the Tar Heels.
Tight League Games...
Duke has been so close in ACC play but has not been able to close out five of the games.
Seven of Duke's 10 ACC games have been decided by six points or less, which tied a Duke record (1995-96 and 1988-89).
The 1988-89 season all occurred during the regular season, but all other seasons included games played in the ACC Tournament.
Duke has lost five ACC games by a combined 19 points. All five of the losses have been within five points.
At Home in 2019-20...
Duke has totaled a 9-3 record at home this season. In those games, the Blue Devils are averaging 70.8 points, while holding opponents to 60.8 points.
Haley Gorecki has averaged 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals at home this season. She has notched five games with 20 or more points.
Miela Goodchild has drained 25 three-pointers for a 39.7 percentage. Over two seasons at Duke, Goodchild has hit 58-of-139 three-pointers at home in Cameron for a 41.7 percentage.
Odom Named National Player of the Week...
Senior Leaonna Odom earned ACC Player of the Week and USBWA National Player of the Week for the first time in her four-year career for her efforts against Clemson and Syracuse. She averaged 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals on the week. She hit 76.0 percent of her field goals in the two contests.
Tough Defense...
In ACC contests, Duke's defense has been among the best in the conference in a number of key categories.
In 10 league games, Duke's defense ranks in the top five in scoring defense (4th, 60.20), field goal percentage defense (4th, 26.5), steals (1st, 11.50) and three-point field goal percentage defense (1st, 26.5).
Double-Doubles/20-Point Games...
Haley Gorecki owns four double-doubles on the season, which ranks tied for 11th in the ACC. She also ranks tied for fourth with seven games with 20 or more points.
Over the last two years, Gorecki has notched 18 games with 20 or more points, which is the most in the ACC.
20+ Point Games Last Two Seasons
18 Haley Gorecki, Duke
16 Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia
16 Elissa Cunane, NC State
16 Janelle Bailey, UNC
15 Kiah Gillespie, Florida State
13 Nausia Woolfolk, Florida State
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 18.0 points, 4.0 assists and 6.3 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.
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 (3rd, 18.00)
Assists (8th, 4.1)
Field Goal Percentage (13th, 40.6)
Free Throw Percentage (3rd, 85.0)
Steals (3rd, 2.2)
Three-Point Field Goals Made (T13th, 1.9)
Minutes Played (4th, 35.93)
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 (18.00 ppg, 4.1 assists)
Dana Evans (18.73 ppg., 4.3 assists)
Kiara Lewis (16.95 ppg., 5.2 assists)
Impressive Against ACC...
In 10 conference contests, Haley Gorecki ranks first in the ACC in scoring (19.5).
She ranks 11th in field goal percentage (44.1), eighth in free throw percentage (82.0), tied for ninth in three-point field goals made (2.0), third in minutes played (38.05) and eighth in three-point percentage (33.9).
Gorecki also ranks eighth in assists (4.4) and second in steals (2.6).
Tough Non-Conference Slate...
Of Duke's 11 non-conference opponents in 2019-20, nine of those have winning records. Overall, the Blue Devil opponents have combined for a 165-65 mark so far through Feb. 3.
Here is a closer look - High Point (9-11), Texas A&M (18-4), UNLV (11-10), Northwestern (19-3), Idaho State (10-11), Troy (16-3), Davidson (13-8), Penn (11-5), Nebraska (15-7), South Carolina (21-1) and FGCU (22-2).
Duke's five losses came to teams with a combined 95-17 record.
Setting the Scene...
The Duke women's basketball team (11-10, 5-5 ACC) will close a three-game homestand Thursday, Feb. 6 as the Blue Devils host North Carolina (16-6, 7-4) in Cameron Indoor Stadium at 6 p.m. It will mark the 100th all-time meeting in one of the best rivalries in the NCAA.
The game will be aired live on the ACC Network with Jenn Hildreth (PXP) and LaChina Robinson (Color) calling the action. 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 5:45 p.m. (ET).
What is Next?...
Duke will hit the road for two straight contests at Miami (Feb. 9) and at Pittsburgh (Feb. 13). The Blue Devils and Hurricanes will tip at 2 p.m., in Coral Gables, Fla.
Three Keys...
1) Duke has lost five ACC games by a combined 19 points. All five of the losses have been within five points.
2) Haley Gorecki is the only player nationally to average over 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
3) Leaonna Odom is currently in 24th place on Duke's all-time scoring list with 1,255 points and is one point from matching current Duke assistant coach Wanisha Smith (1,256) for 23rd. Haley Gorecki (1,208) needs two points to match Chelsea Gray (1,210) for 28th on Duke's scoring ledger.
Strength of Schedule...
The Blue Devils feature the fifth-toughest schedule nationally -- Virginia (1), Oklahoma (2), Missouri (3), Ohio State (4) and Duke (5) round out the top five.
Duke's five non-conference losses in 2019-20 came against teams that have collected a combined 95-17 record.
The Blue Devils are currently ranked No. 42 in the latest RPI.
Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
• Kyra Lambert will step on the floor Thursday against UNC for the first time since 2017. Over the last three games against the Tar Heels, she has averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists. This included 12 points, 13 assists and six boards in her last meeting on Feb. 26, 2017.
• Duke has gone to the free throw line only 12 times the last two games and made 10 of those attempts. It is the fewest attempts in a two-game stretch this season.
• Over the last two games against UNC, Jade Williams has averaged 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals. She has hit 13-of-21 field goals. Williams notched a double-double in the last meeting with 15 points and 13 boards.
• Duke had a six-game streak of notching 10 or more assists come to an end against NC State as the Blue Devils finished with nine.
• Leaonna Odom has averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals over the last two games against North Carolina.
• Graduate Kyra Lambert is coming off registering a season-high 13 points against NC State and hit a season-high three three-pointers on nine attempts.
• Leaonna Odom has come up big the last four games averaging 18.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.5 assists. She was named ACC Player of the Week and USBWA National Player of the Week for her efforts last week.
• In ACC games, Haley Gorecki and Leaonna Odom have combined to average 33.4 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Gorecki leads the ACC in scoring at 19.5 points per contest.
• In the ACC stats, Duke leads the league with 10.7 steals per game and ranks 26th nationally.
• In the 11 Duke wins, the Blue Devils have averaged 75.9 points and hit 46.3 percent from the field. In the 10 losses, the Blue Devils have averaged 57.5 points and hit 37.3 percent from the field.
• Sophomore Onome Akinbode-James pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds against Georgia Tech. It marked her second game with double-digit rebounds this season and the fifth of her career.
• Haley Gorecki averaged 36.1 minutes a contest last season and is averaging 36.2 minutes in 2019-20. She would become the first Blue Devil to average 35.0 minutes or more in back-to-back seasons.
• 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.
• Haley Gorecki currently ranks tied for second in the ACC with 108 made free throws and fourth with 127 attempts, while ranking third with an 85.0 free throw percentage.
• 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.
• Leaonna Odom ranks fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage, at 53.7 percent per game.
• Haley Gorecki (3rd), Leaonna Odom (6th), and Miela Goodchild (15th) all rank in the top 15 in the ACC in steals per game – Gorecki at 2.19 spg, Odom at 2.00 spg, and Goodchild at 1.48 spg.
• 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.
The Series with North Carolina..
Duke and North Carolina will meet for the 100th time in school history with the Tar Heels leading the series, 50-49. The Blue Devils have won three in a row and 10 out of the last 11 contests.
In games played in Durham, N.C., Duke has totaled a 27-15 record, including five in a row. The Blue Devils have won 10 out of the last 11.
Coach P owns a 19-11 record versus the Tar Heels.
Gorecki Against the Tar Heels...
In three career games against North Carolina, Haley Gorecki has averaged 22.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 steals. She has notched double-doubles in two straight games and was one rebound shy of another double-double in her first meeting with the Tar Heels in 2018. She has drained 11 treys in three contests.
Prior to scoring 11 points last year in Durham, Gorecki had averaged 28.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals against UNC in her first two contests against the Tar Heels.
Tight League Games...
Duke has been so close in ACC play but has not been able to close out five of the games.
Seven of Duke's 10 ACC games have been decided by six points or less, which tied a Duke record (1995-96 and 1988-89).
The 1988-89 season all occurred during the regular season, but all other seasons included games played in the ACC Tournament.
Duke has lost five ACC games by a combined 19 points. All five of the losses have been within five points.
At Home in 2019-20...
Duke has totaled a 9-3 record at home this season. In those games, the Blue Devils are averaging 70.8 points, while holding opponents to 60.8 points.
Haley Gorecki has averaged 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals at home this season. She has notched five games with 20 or more points.
Miela Goodchild has drained 25 three-pointers for a 39.7 percentage. Over two seasons at Duke, Goodchild has hit 58-of-139 three-pointers at home in Cameron for a 41.7 percentage.
Odom Named National Player of the Week...
Senior Leaonna Odom earned ACC Player of the Week and USBWA National Player of the Week for the first time in her four-year career for her efforts against Clemson and Syracuse. She averaged 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 steals on the week. She hit 76.0 percent of her field goals in the two contests.
Tough Defense...
In ACC contests, Duke's defense has been among the best in the conference in a number of key categories.
In 10 league games, Duke's defense ranks in the top five in scoring defense (4th, 60.20), field goal percentage defense (4th, 26.5), steals (1st, 11.50) and three-point field goal percentage defense (1st, 26.5).
Double-Doubles/20-Point Games...
Haley Gorecki owns four double-doubles on the season, which ranks tied for 11th in the ACC. She also ranks tied for fourth with seven games with 20 or more points.
Over the last two years, Gorecki has notched 18 games with 20 or more points, which is the most in the ACC.
20+ Point Games Last Two Seasons
18 Haley Gorecki, Duke
16 Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia
16 Elissa Cunane, NC State
16 Janelle Bailey, UNC
15 Kiah Gillespie, Florida State
13 Nausia Woolfolk, Florida State
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 18.0 points, 4.0 assists and 6.3 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.
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 (3rd, 18.00)
Assists (8th, 4.1)
Field Goal Percentage (13th, 40.6)
Free Throw Percentage (3rd, 85.0)
Steals (3rd, 2.2)
Three-Point Field Goals Made (T13th, 1.9)
Minutes Played (4th, 35.93)
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 (18.00 ppg, 4.1 assists)
Dana Evans (18.73 ppg., 4.3 assists)
Kiara Lewis (16.95 ppg., 5.2 assists)
Impressive Against ACC...
In 10 conference contests, Haley Gorecki ranks first in the ACC in scoring (19.5).
She ranks 11th in field goal percentage (44.1), eighth in free throw percentage (82.0), tied for ninth in three-point field goals made (2.0), third in minutes played (38.05) and eighth in three-point percentage (33.9).
Gorecki also ranks eighth in assists (4.4) and second in steals (2.6).
Tough Non-Conference Slate...
Of Duke's 11 non-conference opponents in 2019-20, nine of those have winning records. Overall, the Blue Devil opponents have combined for a 165-65 mark so far through Feb. 3.
Here is a closer look - High Point (9-11), Texas A&M (18-4), UNLV (11-10), Northwestern (19-3), Idaho State (10-11), Troy (16-3), Davidson (13-8), Penn (11-5), Nebraska (15-7), South Carolina (21-1) and FGCU (22-2).
Duke's five losses came to teams with a combined 95-17 record.
Players Mentioned
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