Blue Devils Defeat No. 9 Iowa, 79-64

Thursday, December 2

Durham, N.C.

9 P.M.

Duke University

7-0,0-0ACC

Iowa

4-1,0-0Big Ten

Iowa

Duke

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Defeat No. 9 Iowa, 79-64

12/3/2021 12:22:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score FINAL BOX SCORE (PDF)DUKE POSTGAME NOTES LAWSON QUOTES DUKE PLAYER QUOTES IOWA QUOTES GALLERY LAWSON INTERVIEW PLAYERS INTERVIEW

DURHAM – The Duke women's basketball team grabbed a win against its first ranked opponent of the season, as the Blue Devils earned a 79-64 victory over the ninth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in front of a raucous crowd Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

For the second consecutive game, freshman Shayeann Day-Wilson led the charge for the Blue Devils (7-0). The rookie totaled 19 points to go with four rebounds and team high four assists. Junior Celeste Taylor scored 17 points and grabbed a team-high 13 boards to collect her second straight and sixth career double-double.

Offensively, Duke controlled the pace of play for most of the game. The Blue Devils led for 33 of the 40 minutes and outscored the Hawkeyes in each quarter. On the defensive end, Duke made Iowa work for every shot and held the visitors to its lowest point total of the season.

Iowa struck first and reached an 8-2 apex, but a 7-0 response by the Blue Devils put them ahead, 10-8. Jade Williams started the run with an old fashioned three-point play and a layup off a nice feed from Lexi Gordon before Day-Wilson capped off the sequence with a deep triple. The teams traded buckets through the remainder of the period, with Duke holding a four-point lead at the end of one.

The Blue Devil defense tightened up in the second and held Iowa to 5-of-12 shooting from the floor, while forcing six turnovers. On the offensive end, Duke steadily built its lead with baskets from Day-Wilson, Taylor and Gordon. The nine-point lead forced Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder to call a timeout. Day-Wilson gave the Blue Devils their first double-digit lead of the game, 34-24, after burying another from distance. The Hawkeyes pulled within six following back-to-back baskets by Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin, but a strong drive and finish in the paint by Gordon gave Duke a 36-28 lead at the break.

Day-Wilson led the Blue Devils after 20 minutes with 10 first half points and three assists, while Taylor added six points and four boards. Gordon and Williams also chipped in four points apiece.

Duke continued to play stifling defense in the third as it held the visitors to 26 percent (5-of-19) shooting and began to create more separation between itself and Iowa. Gordon's offensive rebound and putback keyed an 8-0 run early in third that extended the lead to 14 and forced another Hawkeye timeout. The Blue Devils led by as many as 18 in the third and maintained a 13-point lead heading into the final frame.

Iowa made a couple attempts at a fourth quarter rally, pulling within 11 and 10 points on two occasions. That would be the closest it would get as each time, Duke had an answer. The Hawkeyes began to play the foul game as they attempted to prolong the game, but the Blue Devils sunk nine free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

For the game, Caitlin Clark led Iowa (4-1) with a game-high 22 points.

Game Notes:

Duke notched the first win for an unranked team over a top-10 team this season. Unranked teams were 0-47 heading into tonight.
The Blue Devils outscored the Hawkeyes 29-2 in bench points.
Duke held Iowa to its lowest point total of the season thus far and the lowest since Feb. 13, 2020
Two Duke players drew a charge - Celeste Taylor, Lexi Gordon

Up Next:
The Blue Devils hit the road for Philadelphia, Pa., where Duke will face off against the Penn Quakers on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the historic Palestra. The game will air live on ESPN+.

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