Duke Runs Past Coppin State, 68-34, to Close Non-Conference Play

Thursday, December 28

Durham, N.C.

7 p.m.

Duke University

8-4,0-1ACC

Coppin State

3-11,0-0MEAC

Coppin St.

Duke

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Duke Runs Past Coppin State, 68-34, to Close Non-Conference Play

12/28/2023 9:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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DURHAM – Duke women's basketball raced out to a 36-9 halftime lead and never looked back en route to a 68-34 victory over Coppin State Thursday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Three Blue Devils registered double figures and all 10 players notched at least two points as Duke (8-4) closed out its non-conference schedule. Coppin State falls to 3-11 on the season.

Freshman Oluchi Okananwa led all Duke scorers with 13 points – nine of those coming from the charity stripe. She added six rebounds and three steals to her stat line. Reigan Richardson and Kennedy Brown both notched 10 points in the winning effort.

Coppin State's Faith Blackstone led all scorers with 16 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Blue Devils got off to a red-hot start, holding a 20-3 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
Richardson spearheaded the offensive effort with 10 points during the frame. Defensively, Duke forced six Coppin State turnovers and held the Eagles to 1-for-10 from the field (10.0 percent).
Duke netted 16 of the 22 points in the second quarter and took a 27-point lead into the break.
Okananwa got her offense going in the third, scoring 10 points (6-for-8) during the frame, also grabbing four boards.
The Blue Devils outscored the Eagles, 15-12, in the third period and held a 30-point margin on the scoreboard heading into the final stanza.
Coppin State attempted to cut into its deficit scoring 13 of the period's first 17 points. Duke closed the contest on a 13-2 run to polish off the victory.
Duke forced the Eagles into 19 turnovers and held them to just 27.8 percent shooting. The Blue Devils dominated the glass by a 50-26 margin as all 10 Duke players registered at least one carom in the contest.

GAME NOTES

With the win, Duke improves to 8-4 overall and pushes its win streak to three.
Duke's last three victories – FGCU, Toledo and Coppin State – have come by an average of 26 points.
The Blue Devils finish non-conference play with at least eight wins for the third consecutive season.
Freshman Oluchi Okananwa led Duke with a team-high 13 points – 10 of which came in the third quarter. She also snagged eight rebounds and tallied three steals on the night.
Okananwa has now reached double figures six times this season, tied for the team lead with junior Reigan Richardson.
Senior Kennedy Brown reached double figures for the second straight game and fifth of the season with 10 points. The Derby, Kan., product added three rebounds and two assists to her stat line as well.
Richardson chipped in 10 points, five boards, two assists and two steals.
Duke held Coppin State to three points and 10-percent shooting (1-for-10) from the field in the first quarter.
The point total ranks No. 2 all-time for fewest points in the opening period while the field goal percentage checks in as the fifth lowest.
The Blue Devils limited the Eagles to just nine total first-half points – the fewest points allowed in an opening half by Duke during the Kara Era. The nine points are also tied for the fourth fewest in the first half by a Blue Devil foe.
Duke held Coppin State to 34 points, 18.6 points below its season scoring average of 52.6 points. The Blue Devils have now held 11 of their 12 opponents below their respective scoring average entering the game.
Duke outrebounded Coppin State, 50-26, and won the superlative battle in all five categories – points off turnovers (25-6), points in the paint (36-18), second chance (17-7), fastbreak (20-0) and bench points (42-8).

UP NEXT
The Blue Devils resume ACC play on Dec. 31 with a New Years Eve battle against Boston College at 2 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