Duke to Host Wingate in Preseason Tune-up

Saturday, November 4

Durham, N.C.

1 p.m.

Duke University

Wingate

Reigan Richardson high fives Cameron Crazies following win over VT

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke to Host Wingate in Preseason Tune-up

11/3/2023 8:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Live Stats Duke Notes (PDF)

THE OPENING TIP

The Duke women's basketball team takes the floor for its lone exhibition contest on Saturday as the Blue Devils host Wingate at 1 p.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Head coach Kara Lawson enters year four with the Blue Devils in 2023-24. She led the team to a 26-7 overall record, a 14-4 mark in ACC play, a 14-2 record at Cameron Indoor Stadium and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils return five letterwinners and two starters from a season ago while also welcoming six newcomers to the roster - two impact transfers, along with a four-member freshman class that ranked sixth nationally.
Freshman Jadyn Donovan was tabbed to the ACC Preseason Newcomer Watch List while also being named one of ESPN's top impact freshmen for the season.
Senior Kennedy Brown garnered her second consecutive nod to the Lisa Leslie Award Preseason Watch List.
Duke enters the 2023-24 season ranked No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll
Wingate enters the contest after posting a 23-8 overall record featuring a 14-4 ledger in SAC action.
The Bulldogs were picked to finish third in the preseason poll, while guards Hannah Clark and Emily Hedge earned preseason second team All-SAC honors.

52ND SEASON OF DUKE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

The 2023-24 season signifies the 52nd season of Duke women's basketball.
Duke has compiled a 1,005-464 all-time record (.684).
Over the history of the program, Duke has captured 12 ACC regular season crowns and eight conference tournament titles, made 25 NCAA Tournament appearances and played in four Final Fours (1999, '02, '03, '06), including two appearances in the national final (1999, '06).

LAWSON ENTERS YEAR FOUR

Head coach Kara Lawson enters her fourth season at the helm of the Duke women's basketball program with an overall career record of 46-21.
In her third year, Lawson led the Blue Devils to one of their most successful seasons in recent history, as the squad finished the year with a 26-7 overall record, a 14-4 mark in ACC play, a 14-2 record at Cameron Indoor Stadium and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Blue Devils featured one of the nation's most elite defenses over the course of the year, ending the season ranked second in scoring defense, ninth in field goal percentage defense and 10th in blocks. Duke held each of its opponents below its season scoring average, including 17 to 50 points or less.
Since arriving in Durham, Lawson has also helped the Blue Devils return to relevance on the recruiting trail, signing a pair of top-15 classes in her first two hauls (2022 - No. 11, 2023 - No. 6).

JD EARNING PRESEASON BUZZ

Freshman Jadyn Donovan has received some preseason buzz heading into the 2023-24 slate as she enters her first season at Duke as the Blue Devils' most highly touted rookie in nearly a decade -- checking in at No. 3 in the 2023 Class.
She was most recently tabbed to ESPN's list of the top impact freshmen in women's college basketball this season and was also named to the 2023 ACC Preseason Newcomer Watch List.
A 2023 McDonalds and BallisLife All-American, Donovan was tabbed the Gatorade District of Columbia Girls Basketball Player of the Year after leading Sidwell Friends to a 28-3 overall record and the team's second straight DCSAA Girls AA State Championship. Slotted No. 3 in the 2023 Class rankings, Donovan led Sidwell Friends in scoring (14.8) and rebounds (8.2), ranked second in blocks (1.1) and field goal percentage (50.0 percent) as well as third in both assists (3.2) and steals (2.1) per game.
The Washington, D.C., product earned her third career gold medal with USA Basketball this past summer after helping lead the United States to a 7-0 record en route to winning the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup title with a thrilling, 69-66, win over host Spain – the team's third consecutive gold medal and 10th overall.

FRESH FACES IN THE BULL CITY

Duke added six newcomers to the roster ahead of the season - a pair of impact transfers and four freshman.
The transfers include graduate student Camilla Emsbo (Yale) along with sophomore Taina Mair (Boston College)
Duke's freshman class features Jadyn Donovan (Washington, D.C.), Oluchi Okananwa (Boston, Mass.), Delaney Thomas (Charles Town, W.Va.) and Jordan Wood (Chicago, Ill.)
Duke returns five letterwinners and two starters from the 2023-24 roster, including key contributors in junior Reigan Richardson, senior Kennedy Brown and sophomore Ashlon Jackson.

BLUE DEVILS TO HOST USA BASKETBALL IN EXHIBITION NOV. 12

The Duke women's basketball team will host USA Basketball's Women's National Team in an exhibition contest on Sunday, Nov. 12 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The matchup with USA Basketball is slated to tipoff at noon ET and will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
"We are excited to host the No. 1 team in the world in the No. 1 venue for college basketball! What an incredible opportunity for our program and our fans," said Duke women's basketball head coach Kara Lawson. "I hope everyone in the Triangle area comes out to see this matchup. As the USA National Team prepares for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, we will do our best to compete and help them along in their journey. Go Team USA and go Duke!"
The Blue Devils will take on the U.S. Women's National Team for just the second time overall and first since 1999, when USA Basketball defeated Duke 71-45 in Durham.
In addition to its matchup with the Blue Devils, the USA Basketball Women's National Team will also face off against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. The games will be hosted as USA Basketball continues to evaluate the 2021-24 Women's National Team player pool prior to naming a team for the Paris 2024 Olympics. USA roster information will be announced at a later date.
USA Basketball Women's National Team head coach Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) will coach the USA in both games and lead training camp. She will be assisted by Mike Thibault (Washington Mystics) and Curt Miller (Los Angeles Sparks).

UP NEXT
Duke officially opens the 2023-24 season by welcoming Richmond to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the home opener on Monday, Nov. 6 at 11 a.m.

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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