Blue Devils Fly Past Georgia Tech, 84-46, Behind Total Team Performance

Sunday, January 14

Durham, N.C.

2 p.m.

Duke University

Georgia Tech

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Fly Past Georgia Tech, 84-46, Behind Total Team Performance

1/14/2024 4:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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DURHAM – Four Duke players finished in double figures as the Blue Devils parlayed a complete team performance into a commanding 84-46 victory over Georgia Tech Sunday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Okananwa led all scorers with 21 points – 14 of those coming in the second half, while also grabbing nine boards. Classmate Jadyn Donovan added 12 points and five rebounds while sophomores Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair each chipped in 11. Mair also dished out a season high nine dimes.

The Blue Devils (11-5, 3-2 ACC) were red-hot from distance, knocking down 59 percent (13-of-22) of their shots from long range. Three different players – Jackson, Mair and Okananwa – hit three trifectas apiece.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Duke held a 16-13 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play. The Blue Devils jumped out to an early 10-4 margin at the 6:10 mark on midrange jays from Reigan Richardson (2) and Taina Mair and an Ashlon Jackson triple. Jadyn Donovan added a free throw as well.
After Georgia Tech pulled within a pair, the Blue Devils pushed their lead back while concurrently holding the Yellow Jackets without a field goal for nearly a four-minute stretch late in the period.
The Blue Devils controlled most of the second period and outscored Georgia Tech 20-11, including a 9-0 midway through the quarter.
Duke cashed in three consecutive triples over this stretch – two from Mair and one from Okananwa, pushing its lead to 29-18 with 3:31 to go, subsequently forcing a timeout by the visitors.
Okananwa and Delaney Thomas added buckets inside late for Duke and Ashlon Jackson sprayed a three from the right slot, as the home team held a 36-24 advantage at the break.
Another 9-0 spurt at the start of the third period gave the Blue Devils their largest lead of the game at 45-26.
Richardson kickstarted the run with a middy, Donovan scored the next four before Jackson drilled a transition trifecta from the far-right corner off Mair's feed, forcing the Yellow Jackets to burn another timeout.
As a whole, Duke poured in 28 points during the 10-minute session and led 64-41 after three.
The Blue Devils put the finishing touches on the win as they outscored the visitors 20-5 in the fourth, including a 13-0 run to end the game.

GAME NOTES:

With the win, Duke improves to 11-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
In the all-time series against Georgia Tech, Duke moves to 64-11 against the Yellow Jackets including a 31-4 mark in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The 38-point win is Duke's third-largest margin of victory this season, trailing only the NC Central (93-45) and Coastal Carolina (88-42) victories.
Duke put on a stellar offensive display Sunday afternoon with a 50-50-90 performance. The Blue Devils shot 50 percent from the field (31-of-62), 59 percent from three (13-of-22) and 90 percent at the charity stripe. The 59-percent clip from distance marks a season best for the Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils assisted on nearly two-thirds of their field goals dropping 20 dimes on 31 made shots. Duke doubled the Yellow Jackets up on the glass, snagging 42 caroms to Georgia Tech's 21.
Defensively, Duke held Georgia Tech to 35-percent shooting and forced 17 Yellow Jacket turnovers. Duke also tallied nine steals and blocked six shots.
Duke won the specialty stats battle, which included substantial margins over the opposition in points off the bench (40-12) and in the paint (26-12). The Blue Devils also outscored Georgia Tech 14-5 on second chance opportunities and finished plus three (11-8) in points off turnovers.
The Blue Devils have now held 15 of 16 opponents this season below their respective scoring averages. Georgia Tech's 46 points were 36.8 fewer than its average of 72.8.

UP NEXT
Duke welcomes11th-ranked Virginia Tech to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a midweek conference tilt. Action is slated for Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m., live on ACC Network.

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