Blue Devils Tip Off 2023-24 Season Versus Richmond

Monday, November 6

Durham, N.C.

11 a.m.

Duke University

Richmond

ashlon jackson, taina mair and camilla embso smile after a play

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Tip Off 2023-24 Season Versus Richmond

11/5/2023 6:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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THE OPENING TIP

Duke women's basketball tips off the 2023-24 season with the home opener on Monday when the Blue Devils host Richmond at 11 a.m., in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The season opener is set to air live on ACCNX with Evan Budrovich and Debbie Taylor on the call.
Duke is 39-9 all-time in its season openers, which includes wins in 18 of the last 19.
The Blue Devils have won 46 consecutive home openers dating back to the 1977-78 season.
Monday's game marks the ninth all-time meeting between Duke and Richmond. The Blue Devils hold a 7-1 advantage in the series and have won two straight, including a resounding 100-49 dub in Richmond last season.
In its lone exhibition of the preseason, Duke parlayed a balanced offensive attack featuring five double-figure scorers into a resounding 106-33 victory over Wingate Saturday afternoon.
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
Richmond comes into the contest following a successful season in 2022-23, which saw them go 21-11, advance to the A-10 semifinals and earn a host bid for the WNIT.
The Spiders were picked to finish fourth in the 2023-24 preseason poll while the duo of Addie Budnik and Maggie Doogan earned nods to the first and second teams, respectively.

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).

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 WEAR DOWN BULLDOGS IN EXHIBITION

Five Blue Devils scored in double-figures and Duke shot 51 percent overall from the field to down Wingate, 106-33, in exhibition women's basketball action Saturday afternoon.
The Blue Devils were led by freshman Jadyn Donovan (20 points, nine rebounds) and junior Reigan Richardson (17 points). Graduate student Camilla Emsbo added 15 points and five boards off the bench, senior Kennedy Brown tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists while rookie Oluchi Okananwa chipped in a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Duke shot 68.8 percent from the field in the first period and went on to finish the game at a 51.3 clip (40-of-78) from the field.
The Blue Devils scored 35 points off 23 Wingate turnovers and got 42 points from its bench.
Duke's freshman four of Donovan, Okananwa, Delaney Thomas and Jordan Wood combined for 43 points and 31 rebounds – which accounted for 41 percent and 50 percent, respectively, of the Blue Devils' point and rebound production on Saturday.

LAST TIME AGAINST THE SPIDERS

Duke commanded the game from the jump and finished the contest with four in double figures as the Blue Devils blitzed Richmond, 100-49, at the Robins Center.
Vanessa de Jesus delivered a stellar performance off the bench for Duke as she matched her career high, pouring in a game-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Kennedy Brown was one point shy of tying her career high, finishing the game with 15 points on 85.7 percent shooting (6-of-7) while also grabbing five boards of her own.
Celeste Taylor and freshman Ashlon Jackson also finished in double figures, with Taylor registering 14 points and Jackson contributing a dozen for a career high. Elizabeth Balogun led the efforts on the glass with a game-high eight rebounds and Jordyn Oliver dished out a game-high seven assists.

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
The Blue Devils continue their season-opening home stand with a tilt against Coastal Carolina on Thursday, Nov. 9 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