No. 1 South Carolina Pulls Away Late for 77-61 Victory

Sunday, December 3

Durham, N.C.

1 p.m.

Duke University

5-3,0-0ACC

South Carolina

7-0,0-0SEC

South Carolina

Duke

Photo by: Duke Athletics

No. 1 South Carolina Pulls Away Late for 77-61 Victory

12/3/2023 3:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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DURHAM – Duke rallied to tie the game at 55-55 at the top of the fourth quarter, but top-ranked South Carolina outscored the Blue Devils 22-9 in the period to earn a 77-61 win in the Jimmy V Women's Classic Sunday afternoon.

Reigan Richardson led all Duke (5-3) scorers with 17 points, while rookie Delaney Thomas dropped in 13 on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. Richardson knocked down a game-high five three-pointers as Duke shot an impressive 47.8 percent from distance. Freshman Jadyn Donovan had a solid all-around day with six points, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

Kamilla Cardoso paced five double-figure scorers for the Gamecocks (7-0) with 15 points and 15 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair that featured four lead changes, the Blue Devils holding a 20-18 lead following the opening 10 minutes of play.
Freshman Delaney Thomas provided a huge spark off the bench with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, while sophomore Ashlon Jackson added six points via triples from the right wing and left slot, respectively.
South Carolina controlled the second period, outscoring the Blue Devils 17-9 in the frame to take a 35-29 lead into the break.
Taina Mair netted five of Duke's points in the quarter, while Oluchi Okananwa and Thomas each added a bucket.
Offense was at a premium in the third as the teams traded runs and combined for 43 points in the period, the Blue Devils holding a slim 23-20 edge on the scoreboard.
A 12-3 spurt at the start of the quarter opened a 15-point lead, 47-32, for the visitors before Duke answered with nine of the game's next 11 points to pull within single digits at the 4:41 mark.
South Carolina managed to push its lead back to 14, but Duke closed the quarter on an 11-1 run while holding the Gamecocks without a field goal over the final 3:39 of the frame.
Camilla Emsbo kickstarted the run with a fastbreak bucket off a pretty feed from Jadyn Donovan before Reigan Richardson (2) and Jackson (1) drained consecutive triples to pull Duke within three, 55-52, heading into the final period.
Richardson cashed in another triple at the start of the fourth to level the score at 55-all, then Donovan added in a pair of free throws shortly after.
The Gamecocks would use a 12-2 run late in the quarter to grab control of the game, however, and went on to claim the 77-61 victory.

GAME NOTES:

The Blue Devils outscored the Gamecocks, 18-12, on the fastbreak and 22-12 off the bench.
Duke cashed in its triples at a 47.8-percent clip, knocking down 11 three pointers on 23 attempts.
It marks the fifth game this season the team has knocked down at least seven triples in a game.
Junior Reigan Richardson led the Duke charge with 17 points, including 5-of-9 from three, and also added two steals and a block.
Freshman Delaney Thomas finished one point shy of her career high, tallying 13 points (6-of-7 shooting) three rebounds and three steals.
Ashlon Jackson chipped in nine points and two assists.
Sophomore Taina Mair and freshman Oluchi Okananwa each scored seven points on the afternoon. Mair added five assists and two steals to her statline, while Okananwa grabbed four boards and two assists.
Freshman Jadyn Donovan had a solid all-around day with six points, six rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

UP NEXT
The Blue Devils open ACC action on the road, traveling to Clemson, S.C. for a date with the Tigers on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.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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