Top-15 Matchup Set for Wednesday in Cameron

Wednesday, December 15

Durham, N.C.

7 P.M.

Duke University

South Carolina

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Top-15 Matchup Set for Wednesday in Cameron

12/14/2021 1:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

DUKE NOTES

#1 South Carolina (10-0) at #15 Duke Blue Devils (8-0)
Wednesday, Nov. 15 • 7:00 PM
Durham, N.C.   • ACC Network
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)

Tickets: www.GoDuke.com (1-877-375-3853)
Live Stats: www.GoDuke.com
Radio: Blue Devil Sports Network (WDNC 620 AM, www.GoDuke.com, Varsity Network App)
Radio Talent: Chris Edwards (PXP)
TV/Video: ACC Network
TV Talent: Pam Ward (PXP), Stephanie White (Color), Andraya Carter (Sideline)

Game Notes l Watch Live on ACC Network l Listen Live l Live Stats l Digital Program l Twitter l Duke Media Hub l Cameron Health & Safety Protocols

Setting the Scene...
   Two top-20 ranked teams will face off Wednesday, Dec. 15 as the 15th-ranked Duke women's basketball team (8-0) will host top-ranked South Carolina (10-0) at 7 p.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
   The game will be carried live on ACC Network with Pam Ward (PXP), Stephanie White (Color) and Andraya Carter (Sideline) calling the action. It will also be carried on the Blue Devil Sports Network via WDNC AM 620, the Varsity Network app and www.GoDuke.com with Chris Edwards (PXP) on the air at 6:45 p.m.
   There will be a teddy bear toss at halftime with all teddy bears collected and donated to patients at the Duke Children's Hospital during the holiday season. Bring your new or gently used teddy bears (or other stuffed animals) of any size to throw onto the court during halftime. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will also receive a Duke Santa hat.

What is Next?...
   Duke will hit the road for a two-game road swing at Miami and Charleston, before the Christmas holiday break. The Blue Devils will play at Miami on Dec. 19, before heading to Charleston Southern on Dec. 21.

A Look at South Carolina...
   South Carolina features a 10-0 ledger on the season and is currently ranked No. 1 nationally. Aliyah Boston (16.7 points, 9.7 rebounds), Zia Cooke (12.6 points, 2.1 rebounds) and Destanni Henderson (12.3 points, 3.3 rebounds) have paced the Gamecocks on the season.
   The Gamecocks will play a true road contest for only the second time this season.

The Series with South Carolina...
   Duke and South Carolina will face off for the eighth time in program history, with South Carolina leading the series, 5-2. The two teams have met five times in the last seven years with South Carolina winning four of the five games.
   In the last meeting, South Carolina won 89-46 on Dec. 19, 2019 in South Carolina. The Blue Devils are 1-2 in home games, 0-3 in away games and 1-0 in games played at a neutral site.

Duke Versus the Southeastern Conference...
   Duke owns a 40-27 ledger against opponents in the Southeastern Conference -- Alabama (2-1), Arkansas (2-1), Auburn (5-0), Florida (2-1), Georgia (4-0), Kentucky (6-2), Louisiana State (3-2), Mississippi State (2-0), Missouri (0-1), South Carolina (2-5), Tennessee (6-5), Texas A&M (1-6) and Vanderbilt (5-3).

Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes...
   •   Duke is one of only four schools to have both its men's and women's basketball programs ranked in the top 15 in the latest Associated Press poll -- Duke, Baylor, Arizona and Iowa State.
   •   Over the last two home games, Celeste Taylor has averaged 20.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 1.5 blocked shots. She has hit 11-of-21 field goals as well. Jade Williams has also averaged 9.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in those games. Shayeann Day-Wilson has been stellar as well, averaging 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals, while hitting 12-of-17 treys and 15-of-25 field goals.
   •   Entering the Iowa game on Dec. 2, unranked teams were 0-47 versus top-10 opponents on the season, before Duke knocked off No. 9 Iowa. The current record is 2-66 (through Dec. 12) with the two wins coming by the Blue Devils and Georgia Tech (over UConn). The 15-point win over Iowa was the largest margin of victory over a top-10 team for Duke since defeating FSU by 13 the 2017-18 season.
   •   Duke has scored 327 points off the bench in eight games for an average of 36.3, while its opponents are averaging only 9.4 a contest. The Blue Devils' 36.3 per game average leads the ACC with NC State in second (34.4). South Carolina averages 24.6 points off the bench.
   •   Duke is the only team in the ACC to have scored 70+ points in every contest it has played this season.
   •       Freshman Shayeann Day-Wilson has hit 18-of-27 treys the last four games, including 16-of-23 the last three contests. Her 22 three-pointers on the season ranks as the fifth-most by a freshman nationally (Tess Myers of Duquesne leads with 31 in 11 games). Day-Wilson and Myers are tied with 2.8 made treys per game.
   •   Duke has allowed 75 points or less in every game under Kara Lawson as head coach. The 12-straight games allowing 75 points or less is the longest streak since the 2019-20 season when the Blue Devils allowed less than 75 points in 17 straight contests.
   •   The Blue Devils have posted 20+ points in the first quarter in seven of the eight contests this season, while averaging 21.1 points in the quarter. Duke has led after the first 10 minutes in each of the eight games, while also holding opponents to only 11.1 points a game in the first quarter.
   •   Duke has won 11 straight non-conference games, the most since 2010-11 season, when the Blue Devils won 14 in a row.
   •   Amaya Finklea-Guity came off the bench to score 11 points and pull down five boards in 18 minutes against App State - all season highs. She added seven points and four rebounds in 10 minutes versus Troy.
   •   The Blue Devils feature eight different players that have drained at least one 3-pointer on the season, while six have hit five or more.
   •   This is the first time Duke is 8-0 to start a season since 2013-14, when the Blue Devils opened with a 10-0 ledger.
   •   Since arriving at Duke, Vanessa de Jesus has produced a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio (47/21).
   •   In the 12 games under Kara Lawson since arriving, Duke has scored 70+ points in 11 of the 12 contests. The Blue Devils have won every game in which they have scored 70 points or more. The only loss was to Louisville, 73-49, last season.
   •   Duke has scored 70+ points in each of the first eight games in 2021-22, which marks the first time the Blue Devils have scored 70+ points in each of the first eight contests of the season since the 2013-14 campaign, when Duke collected 70+ points in the first 10 contests.
       • In 12 games over the last two years under Kara Lawson, the Blue Devils have drained 97 treys for an average of 8.1 a contest.
   •   In the class rankings from wbasketballblog.com, Imani Lewis was No. 32 for the seniors and Celeste Taylor was No. 27 for the junior class.
   •   Elizabeth Balogun steps on the court in 2021-22 with Duke marking the third different ACC squad she has played for. She is the first women's basketball player in ACC history to play for three different teams in the league (Louisville, Georgia Tech).
   •   Imani Lewis' 30 career double-doubles entered the season ranking tied for 23rd nationally in the NCAA for active career leaders.
   •   Blue Devil senior Elizabeth Balogun represented her home country of Nigeria in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She appeared in all three contests for the Nigerians and played with former Duke standout Oderah Chidom with Nigeria.
   •   Duke features three graduate students in 2021-22 that are all attending the Duke Fuqua School of Business -- Amaya Finklea-Guity, Jade Williams and Lexi Gordon.
   •   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).
   •   Junior transfer Jordyn Oliver will miss the 2021-22 season, after suffering an achilles injury over the summer.
   •   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, while Kara Lawson is at KaraLawson.

Blue Devils Against No. 1 Ranked Teams...
   Over Duke's history, the Blue Devils own an all-time record of 3-10 against No. 1 ranked teams. The three wins were against Connecticut (2004), Tennessee (2006) and Maryland (2007).

Duke vs. No. 1 Ranked Teams
vs. Connecticut, L, 59-72 (3-24-18)
vs. South Carolina, L, 50-51 (12-7-14)
vs. Connecticut, L 61-83 (12-17-13)
vs. Connecticut (Neutral site), L 40-75 (3-29-11)
vs. Connecticut, L 48-81 (1-18-10)
vs. Maryland, W 81-62 (1-13-07)
vs. Tennessee, W 75-53 (1-23-06)
at Connecticut, W 68-67 (1-3-04)
vs. Purdue (Neutral site), L 45-62 (3-28-99)
vs. Maryland, L 54-80 (1-24-92)
vs. Virginia (Neutral site), L 55-81 (3-7-92)
vs. Virginia, L, 56-92 (1-5-91)
at Virginia, L, 61-86 (2-9-91)

Top 15 Matchup...
   No. 15 Duke will host No. 1 South Carolina in a top-15 matchup Wednesday in Cameron.
   The No. 15 ranking for the Blue Devils is the highest since the 2017-18 season when Duke was No. 15 on Jan. 16, 2018. Cameron Indoor Stadium will host a top-15 matchup for the first time since Nov. 30, 2017 when the Blue Devils defeated eighth-ranked Ohio State, 69-60.

Gold Medal Coaches...
   When Duke and South Carolina meet on Wednesday, two gold medal winning coaches from this past summer will roam the sidelines with Kara Lawson and Dawn Staley.
   Lawson led the USA Basketball 3x3 to a gold medal over the summer, while Staley led the USA Basketball 5x5 team to a gold medal in Tokyo.
   The duo have combined to lead USA Basketball to 31 gold medals in competitions (Lawson - 10, seven as a coach and three as a player; Staley - 21, 11 as a coach and 10 as a player).
   Lawson (athlete) and Staley (assistant coach) were also both on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team roster.

Hey, I Know You...
   Duke junior Celeste Taylor along with South Carolina's Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke teamed up to win gold at the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup.
   Blue Devil junior Jordyn Oliver was also on the 2017 U16 team as well.

Duke Players vs. South Carolina...
   Celeste Taylor and her Texas team dropped a 62-34 decision to South Carolina to conclude the Longhorns season last year in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. Taylor had eight points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals in 39 minutes.
   Miela Goodchild collected 11 points and five rebounds in 31 minutes as a sophomore against the Gamecocks.

Nationally Speaking...
   Two of the top shooting teams in the nation will hit the hardwood Wednesday. South Carolina ranks 16th in field goal percentage (47.1) and Duke is 10th (47.9).
   South Carolina also ranks No. 1 in blocks (9.2), while Duke is 19th (5.6). Shayeann Day-Wilson ranks 16th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage for Duke, while Aliyah Boston is No. 8 in blocks (3.0).

Impressive Numbers...
   Celeste Taylor is one of only four guards (5-11 and under) nationally to collect 17 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a game this season (Jaia Alexander of Coppin State, Janai Crooms of Providence and Allie Troeckler of SIUE). She accomplished the mark against No. 9 Iowa.
   Shayeann Day-Wilson is one of four freshman nationally to register 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals in a game on the year.