No. 13 Duke Welcomes Syracuse for Sunday Matinee

Sunday, January 22

Durham, N.C.

12 p.m.

Duke University

Syracuse

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Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 13 Duke Welcomes Syracuse for Sunday Matinee

1/21/2023 6:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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THE OPENING TIP

No. 13 Duke looks to bounce back from Thursday's setback as the Blue Devils open a two-game homestand, playing host to Syracuse on Sunday Jan., 22 at 12 p.m., live on ACC Network.
Angel Gray and Jasmine Thomas will call the action on ACC Network while Chris Edwards calls the game on the radio on the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield.
Duke rose three spots to No. 13 in the Week 11 Associated Press (AP) Poll and checks in at No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
In the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings the Blue Devils are slotted ninth (as of Jan. 20).
Defense has been the calling card for the Blue Devils this season as the team has won each of its games by an average of 22.4 points and held each of its opponents below their season scoring average, including 10 of the 18 to 50 points or less.
Duke has held its foes to 51.0 points per game on 34.7 percent shooting from the floor, marks that currently rank fourth and 12th in the NCAA, respectively, as well as first in the ACC (as of Jan. 20).
Duke has found its stroke from distance lately, knocking down its treys at a 42.9-percent clip in ACC play.
The Blue Devils have received a huge lift from its reserves, averaging 26.2 points off the bench.
Duke and Syracuse will square off on the hardwood for the 11th time all-time, with the Blue Devils holding a 7-3 advantage in the series.
The Blue Devils have won the last two meetings against the Orange, including a 74-65 victory last season at the Dome.

SHARING THE WEALTH

Duke's starting five of senior Elizabeth Balogun, junior Kennedy Brown, sophomores Shayeann Day-Wilson and Reigan Richardson and senior Celeste Taylor have provided a steady hand for the Blue Devils this season, combining for 67.0 percent (46.3 points) of the team's 69.1 points per game.
Taylor has reached double digits in 13 of the 18 games this season followed by Balogun with 10. Day-Wilson has tallied eight double-figure scoring games while Richardson and Brown have each posted seven.
Taylor leads the offensive charge for Duke, averaging 12.3 points per game with Balogun (10.8) and Day-Wilson (8.4) right behind in second and third. Brown and Richardson round out the group with 7.8 and 7.0 points a contest, respectively.
Duke's depth has been on full display as the Blue Devils have featured seven different leading scorers through 18 games this season, with Taylor (6) and Balogun (5) finishing with the team high on multiple occasions.
The squad features 10 players averaging at least 13 minutes per game with four of them averaging 20-plus minutes a contest -- Taylor (27.7), Brown (24.4), Day-Wilson (23.0) and Balogun (21.9).
As a team, Duke ranks sixth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.442) and has assisted on 279 of its 467 made field goals (.597) for an average of 15.5 dimes per game -- No. 4 in the ACC.
The Blue Devils are also second in the ACC in turnover margin (+4.11) and scoring margin (+18.11), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.335) as well as fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.04) and free throw percentage (.758).

DISRUPTING THE PEACE – ELITE BLUE DEVIL DEFENSE

Disruptive defense has been the calling card for the Blue Devils early in the season as the team ranks among the nation's elite, having held its opponents to 51.0 points per game on a 34.7 percent clip from the field.
Those marks check in at fourth and 12th in the NCAA, respectively, while ranking first in the ACC (as of Jan. 20).
Duke is also ninth in Defensive Rating, allowing its opponents just 0.665 points per possession.
The Blue Devils have won each of their games by an average of 22.4 points and held each of their opponents below their season scoring average, including 10 of the 18 to 50 points or less.
In addition to leading the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, the Blue Devils are also first in the ACC in rebounding defense (30.56), fourth in defensive rebounding percentage (.738) and rebound margin (+7.56) and fifth in blocks (4.78), three-point defense (.268) and steals (9.61).

DUKE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

Duke rose three spots to No. 13 in the Week 11 Associated Press (AP) Poll and checks in at No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Blue Devils are also ranked eighth in the ESPN Women's Basketball Power Rankings.
The latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings has the Blue Devils slotted ninth nationally (as of Jan. 20), second in the ACC, with an undefeated record at home (8-0), a 7-1 mark in true road contests and are 1-1 in neutral site games.
With an average opponent NET ranking of 11, the Blue Devils are 3-2 this season against teams ranked in the top 50 of the NET Rankings and 9-2 against the top 100, including wins over NC State (No. 13), Louisville (No. 32), Virginia (No. 40), FGCU (No. 52) and Oregon State (No. 60). Duke's two losses come against UConn and North Carolina, who check in at No. 3 and No. 19, respectively, in the NET.

UPTICK IN EFFICIENCY

Duke's duo of Elizabeth Balogun and Celeste Taylor has seen an uptick in its efficiency, particularly on the offensive end.
The team's leading scorer this season, Taylor is averaging 14.1 points on 44.3 percent from the floor and 45.9 percent from distance since the start of ACC play.
She has scored double figures in six of seven games, including a season-high 23 points to help the Blue Devils knock off then-No. 6 NC State, 72-58.
In non-conference play, Taylor put up 11.2 points on 44.0 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from three.
In seven league games, Balogun has raised both her scoring (11.0) and rebounding (6.6) averages, while maintaining around the same efficiency shooting from the field and beyond the arc.
Balogun shot 53.2 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three in non-conference play, while ACC play has seen her shoot 54.2 percent and 40.0 percent, respectively.
During this stretch, Balogun has scored in double digits four times overall and in four of the last six, including back-to-back double-doubles in wins over Louisville (20 pts, 10 rebs) and at Wake Forest (12 pts, 10 rebs).

HEATING UP FROM DISTANCE

After a slow start from downtown to open the season, the Blue Devils have settled in and begun to find their stroke from three-point land.
Since the start of conference play, Duke has knocked down its treys at a 42.9-percent clip compared to just 34.3 percent in non-conference action.
The Blue Devils have shot over 40 percent in four of the seven games while seven Duke players have combined for the 48 three-point makes.
Celeste Taylor has led the charge with 17 treys, followed by Shayeann Day-Wilson with 10 triples.
Elizabeth Balogun and Vanessa de Jesus have cashed in six apiece, Ashlon Jackson has drained five, Reigan Richardson has netted three and Taya Corosdale has added one.

A QUICK LOOK AT THE ORANGE

Syracuse comes into Sunday's matchup with an overall record of 13-6 and a 4-4 mark in ACC play. The Orange are coming off a 69-57 setback at Georgia Tech on Thursday.
Dyaisha Fair leads the team in both scoring (19.6) and assists (4.2). She has scored in double figures in every game this season. Teisha Hyman also averages double digits at 12.7 points per game.
Dariauna Lewis leads the efforts on the glass with 9.7 boards per game.

UP NEXT
Duke gears up for another top-20 matchup as the Blue Devils will square off against No. 12/ 10 Virginia Tech on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m., live on ACC Network.

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