Second Quarter Surge Leads No. 19 Duke to 60-50 Win at Wake Forest

Thursday, January 5

Winston-Salem, N.C.

6 p.m.

Duke University

14-1,4-0ACC

Wake Forest

10-6,1-4ACC

Duke

Wake Forest

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Second Quarter Surge Leads No. 19 Duke to 60-50 Win at Wake Forest

1/5/2023 9:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Behind a late second-quarter surge, the 19th-ranked Duke women's basketball team battled past Wake Forest, 60-50, Thursday evening at LVJM Coliseum. The Blue Devils closed the first half on a 17-3 run to take the lead – one they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Senior Celeste Taylor paced Duke (14-1, 4-0 ACC) with a game-high 18 points to go with four rebounds. Taylor scored 14 of her points in the second quarter to help the visitors surge ahead and turn the tide in the Blue Devils' favor.

Classmate Elizabeth Balogun notched her second consecutive and fifth-career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore Reigan Richardson added a dozen points of her own – including a couple of huge baskets down the stretch.

Wake Forest (10-6, 1-4 ACC) was led by Jewel Spear's 12 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Wake Forest took an early 5-0 run before Richardson issued a response for Duke with five straight points of her own to draw the Blue Devils even.
Taylor and Kennedy Brown added buckets of their own, but Duke trailed by one after 10 minutes.
The Demon Deacons pushed their lead back to five (21-15) midway through the second quarter – a lead that wouldn't last for long.
Duke's offense came alive and closed the half on a 17-3 run to surge in front and take a 32-24 lead into the break.
Taylor erupted for 14 points in the frame, including four treys, tied for the second-most points in the second quarter at Duke all-time.
Wake Forest made a rally in the third quarter and pulled within a point, 36-35, with 4:28 to go.
The teams traded baskets throughout the remainder of the period with Duke holding a 44-41 lead at the end of the third.
Duke scored 11 of the first 16 points in the fourth quarter to gain some much needed breathing room, pushing the advantage to nine, 55-46, with 4:36 to go in the game.
The stretch began with buckets from Brown, Ashlon Jackson and Balogun and was capped on back-to-back midrange jays from Richardson and Taylor.
The Blue Devils put the finishing touches on the victory shortly after, getting a second-chance bucket from Balogun and an old-fashioned three-point play from Richardson to reach the final margin, 60-50.

GAME NOTES

Duke pushes its win streak to nine games and improves to 14-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC. The Blue Devils also move to 6-0 in true road games this season.
The Blue Devils' 14 wins in 15 games, along with their four consecutive wins to open conference action, mark program bests dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.
Duke held its ninth opponent of the season to 50 points or less.
Duke finished with three players in double figures – Taylor (18), Balogun (12), Richardson (12)
Celeste Taylor scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the second period, which featured four triples. The point total tied for the second-highest second-quarter point total at Duke all-time.
Elizabeth Balogun tallied her second consecutive and fifth career double-double as she posted 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Duke was plus 12 on the glass, outrebounding Wake Forest 36-24, and outscored the Demon Deacons 26-18 in the paint.

UP NEXT:

Duke resumes ACC play on Jan. 12 as the Blue Devils play host to Clemson at 7 p.m., live on ACCNX.

To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."

#GoDuke