Blue Devils Post 69-38 Road Victory at Pittsburgh

Thursday, February 1

Pittsburgh, Pa.

7 p.m.

Duke University

14-7,6-4ACC

Pittsburgh

7-15,1-8ACC

Duke

Pittsburgh

Reigan Richardson celebrates with Oluchi Okananwa after and-one

Photo by: Nat LeDonne / Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Post 69-38 Road Victory at Pittsburgh

2/1/2024 9:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes (PDF)Coach Lawson Presser Highlights Photo Gallery

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Junior Reigan Richardson netted a game-high 17 points, senior Kennedy Brown posted a near double-double of 13 points and seven boards and rookie Jadyn Donovan added 10 points to help lead the Blue Devils to a convincing, 69-38, victory at Pittsburgh Thursday night at Petersen Events Center.

The Blue Devils' defense shined once again as Duke (14-7, 6-4) scored 26 points off 19 Pitt turnovers. Duke held the Panthers (7-15, 1-8) to just 30 percent shooting overall and only 18 percent (2-of-11) from long range.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Duke parlayed a 9-0 run at the end of the first quarter into a 14-3 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
The spurt was keyed by back-to-back triples via sophomores Emma Koabel and Taina Mair, then freshman Delaney Thomas added a free throw and classmate Oluchi Okananwa crashed the offensive glass for the put-back.
The Blue Devils forced eight Panther turnovers in the period, including five over the final 4:11. Duke turned those miscues into 10 points.
Pittsburgh was able to get its offense going a little in the second quarter as the Panthers tallied 15 points.
The Blue Devils put up 17 points of their own, however, as the squad held a 31-18 ledger at the break. Reigan Richardson led seven Blue Devil scorers with six points in the frame on a pair of triples.
Duke kept the pressure on in the third quarter, opening the period with an 8-2 run capped by Richardson's third trifecta of the night.
The run pushed the Blue Devils' lead to 19, 39-20, forcing the home team to call timeout at the 7:21 mark.
Richardson netted another pullup mid-range shot and the Blue Devils converted consecutive old-fashioned three-point plays by Kennedy Brown and Okananwa to round out the scoring in the period for a 47-29 with 10 minutes left to play.
The Blue Devils put the finishing touches on the win, outscoring Pitt 22-9 over the final 10 minutes to claim the 31-point victory.

GAME NOTES:

With the win – Duke moves to 14-7 overall and 6-4 in ACC play. The Blue Devils also improve to 16-0 all-time against Pitt including a 6-0 mark at the Petersen Events Center.
Duke has now won eight of its last 11 games.
Three Duke players finished in double figures – Reigan Richardson (17), Kennedy Brown (13), Jadyn Donovan (10).
For the game, Duke shot at a 49-percent clip (24-of-49) from the floor, 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from distance and 73.7-percent (14-of-19) at the charity stripe.
Duke dropped 17 assists on 24 made field goals totaling a 70.8-percent assist rate.
The Blue Devils held the Panthers to 30.4 percent (14-of-46) from the field and 38 points for the game – the latter marking a season-low for the home team.
The 38 points scored by the Panthers was also the second-fewest points allowed by the Blue Devils this season.
Duke held Pittsburgh to three points in the first quarter, which is tied for the second-fewest points in an opening period by a Duke foe all-time.
The Blue Devils swept Pittsburgh in the specialty stats battle, winning all five categories – bench production (21-5), points off turnovers (26-9), paint scoring (28-16), transition points (10-6) and second chance opportunities (6-2).
The Blue Devils also finished with a plus-16 margin on the glass, outrebounding the Panthers 38-22.
Duke has now held 20 of its 21 opponents below their respective season scoring averages. Pitt's 38 points were 26.2 points fewer than its average of 64.2.
Freshman Oluchi Okananwa and sophomore Emma Koabel combined for 16 of the Blue Devils' 21 bench points, each player scoring eight points.

UP NEXT
Following the bye week, Duke returns to the Bull City for three of its next four games starting with a midweek tilt against Wake Forest on Thursday, Feb. 8 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."

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, please visit 100.duke.edu.

#GoDuke