Duke Outlasts Columbia on the Road, 66-62

Tuesday, November 14

New York, N.Y.

6 p.m.

Duke University

3-0,0-0ACC

Columbia

1-2,0-0Ivy League

Duke

Columbia

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke Outlasts Columbia on the Road, 66-62

11/14/2023 8:46:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)Photo Gallery Coach Lawson Presser Highlights

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Duke sophomore guard Ashlon Jackson scored four of her six points in the final 1:11 as the Blue Devils outscored Columbia, 6-2, down the stretch to secure a 66-62 victory over the Lions in women's basketball action Tuesday night at Levien Gymnasium.

Sophomore Taina Mair led all Blue Devil scorers with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor. Mair dished three assists, pulled in three rebounds and spearheaded Duke's defensive effort with three steals. Reigan Richardson and Kennedy Brown both dropped in 10 points apiece, while rookie Jadyn Donovan led the charge on the glass with seven boards.

Duke forced Columbia into 21 turnovers, turning them into 20 points. The game featured five ties and four lead changes with the Blue Devils leading for nearly 30 minutes of the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Blue Devils jumped out to an 11-2 lead shooting 5-of-6 to start the game while generating offense from its defense, forcing five early Columbia turnovers.
Six straight points by the Lions cut their deficit to five before Delaney Thomas halted the run via a strong finish inside through contact.
The remainder of the period was back-and-forth with the teams trading buckets. The Blue Devils scored the final basket with just over minute remaining for a 19-15 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Duke opened the second with scores from Donovan and graduate student Camilla Emsbo before Columbia answered with an 8-1 run over the next five minutes to surge ahead, 25-24, at the 3:36 mark.
Mair issued a quick response with back-to-back mid-range jays to regain a three-point advantage (28-25) for the visitors.
With less than a minute to go in the frame, Thomas snagged an offensive rebound – one of Duke's 12 in the first half – before sticking it back for her second field goal of the game and a two-point lead for the Blue Devils.
The home team converted two seconds before the halftime buzzer, sending the teams into the break deadlocked at 30-30.
Columbia led by four, 40-26, at the midway point of the third quarter before Duke responded with 15-4 run to take a 51-44 lead after three quarters.
Brown led the way with eight points in the quarter while freshman Oluchi Okananwa added five off the bench, including a three-point play to cap the run.
Columbia cute Duke's lead to three, 53-50, at the 6:45 mark of the fourth.
Duke responded with the next seven points – five of those via Mair – to take a 10-point lead, the largest of the game for either side.
The Lions refused to go away, though, responding with a 10-0 burst of their own to draw even at 60 with just under three minutes to go in regulation.
Duke, once again, had an answer, making clutch plays on offense down the stretch to pull out the win.
Richardson cashed in a jumper from the left bench-side elbow, then Jackson scored clutch baskets on the ensuing two possessions – the first on a reverse layup off a backdoor cut via Richardson's feed before rattling home a long two from the top off the key.
Duke shot 41 percent from the field (26-of-63) and was excellent from the free throw line at (13-of-14). The Lions outrebounded the Blue Devils 37-34, getting 15 second-chance points on the night.

GAME NOTES

Duke improves to 3-0 this season and 1-0 in true road contests.
The Blue Devils improved to 14-0 all-time against the Ivy League with their win over Columbia in the first meeting between the two programs.
Duke shot 13-of-14 (93 percent) from the charity stripe including an 11-of-11 effort in the third quarter.
The Blue Devils forced 21 Columbia turnovers and scored 20 points off those miscues. The squad finished the game with a 42-26 advantage in paint points, a plus-seven margin on the fastbreak (11-4) and a 12-7 edge in steals.
The Blue Devils had three players finish the game in double figures led by Taina Mair with 18 points. The sophomore guard also had three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Senior Kennedy Brown added 10 points including eight in the third quarter, pairing that with four rebounds and three dimes.
Junior Reigan Richardson also chipped in 10 points while dishing out three assists of her own.
The freshman trio of Jadyn Donovan, Oluchi Okananwa and Delaney Thomas combined for 19 points and 15 rebounds – the latter counting for just under 50 percent of the Blue Devils' production on the glass.
Donovan tallied eight points and a team-high seven rebounds, Okananwa provided a spark off the bench with five points and six boards while Thomas chipped in six points and two rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Blue Devils make a pit stop back in Durham, hosting Davidson in a midweek contest on Thursday, Nov. 16 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."

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