Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball versus Countdown to Craziness on October 3, 2025 at 7 p.m.
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7 p.m.
Women's Basketball
vs Countdown to Craziness
Thursday, February 29
Durham, N.C.
7 p.m.
Duke University
vs
Virginia
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Blue Devils Host Virginia on Senior Night
2/28/2024 4:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
THE OPENING TIP
BLUE DEVILS TO HONOR BROWN, EMSBO THURSDAY ON SENIOR NIGHT
LAST TIME OUT
YOUTH MOVEMENT IN DURHAM – RACKIN' UP THE MINUTES
BLOCK PARTY – EVERYONE'S INVITED
DEFENSIVE CONSISTENCY – BROWN ANCHORING THE DEFENSIVE SHIP
A BATTLE TESTED BUNCH – STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
UP NEXT
Duke closes out the 2023-24 regular season slate against in-state rival North Carolina on Sunday, March 3. Action is set for a 4 p.m., tip live on ESPN.
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
- The Blue Devils tip off the final week of regular season action on Thursday, Feb. 29, when Duke welcomes Virginia to Cameron Indoor for a 7 p.m., ACC tilt. The game will stream live on ACCNX with Dean Linke and Debbie Taylor on the call.
- Duke will honor its two seniors -- Kennedy Brown and Camilla Emsbo -- for their contributions to the team in a pregame ceremony.
- Through 78 all-time meetings against Virginia, Duke holds a 43-35 advantage in the series. The Blue Devils are 21-14 when playing at Cameron Indoor.
- Duke has won three straight against Virginia and is 9-1 in its last 10 games against the Hoos. Duke won the first matchup of the 2023-24 campaign, 60-56, back on January 7.
- The Blue Devils are amid another daunting stretch of games to close out the regular season slate, with four of the final six games against Top-25 teams -- Virginia Tech (#12), Notre Dame (#16), Syracuse (#17) and NC State (#6). The Blue Devils have gone 2-2 so far during this stretch with double-digit dubs over the Orange and the Wolfpack.
- Duke has taken on one of the nation's toughest schedules this season as the Blue Devils' SOS checks in at No. 3 nationally (NCAA rankings as of Feb. 26). The Blue Devils are also ranked No. 20 in the NCAA NET rankings.
- The Blue Devils rank third nationally in blocks per game with an average of 6.2 rejections -- first in the ACC (NCAA rankings as of Feb. 26). Graduate student Camilla Emsbo, senior Kennedy Brown and rookie Jadyn Donovan have posted 30-plus blocks each, leading the way with 40, 38 and 33 rejections, respectively.
- In addition to leading the league in rejections, the Blue Devils are top five in the ACC in 10 additional categories.
- On the defensive end, Duke sits atop the ACC in rebounding defense (31.3), field goal percentage defense (.358) and scoring defense (57.8).
- The squad also ranks second in defensive points per possession (0.731) and rebounding margin -- a +5.9 advantage, fourth in defensive rebounding percentage (.705) and scoring margin (+7.6) and fifth in forced turnovers (16.0).
- Offensively, the Blue Devils are No. 3 in the ACC in field goal percentage (.447) and fourth in offensive rebounding percentage (.353).
- Two Blue Devils average double figures in scoring -- Reigan Richardson (11.8), Taina Mair (10.7).
- Duke has assists on more than 50 percent of its field goals (.551) with 392 dimes on 712 made buckets. Mair leads the team with 3.6 per contest.
- 26 of Duke's 27 opponents have been held below their respective season scoring averages on the year. NC State's 58 points were 16.1 below its average of 76.1.
BLUE DEVILS TO HONOR BROWN, EMSBO THURSDAY ON SENIOR NIGHT
- Duke will honor its two seniors -- Kennedy Brown and Camilla Emsbo -- for their contributions to the team in a pregame ceremony.
- Emsbo transferred to Duke after graduating from Yale and has been a valuable veteran presence for the Blue Devils this season while helping lead the team to 18 wins.
- Brown came to Duke following two seasons at Oregon State and has been an integral part in the Blue Devils' success over the last two seasons, helping lead the team to 44 wins and the ACC's top defense in consecutive seasons.
- Coach Lawson on Ken & Cam -- "Both of our seniors have taken ownership of this team in so many ways. The most powerful, memorable way for me as a coach has been the way that they've helped bring everyone along with their maturity and their willingness to be patient. With our young players — this is a young team — and even going back to the summer, small things like taking them on a Target run or making sure that they have things that they need, or they have a ride to things on the court, making sure they understand coverages, making sure they understand the plays, just all of those things. Our seniors took ownership of that. A big reason why we've improved so much and why our young players have improved so much has been the presence of our two seniors on this team."
LAST TIME OUT
- Duke sophomore guard Taina Mair scored a team-high 20 points and the Blue Devils held sixth-ranked NC State to 33-percent shooting en route to a thrilling 69-58 victory in women's basketball action Sunday inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
- Mair registered her third 20-point game this season on 7-of-17 shooting, pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and dished three assists to lead the Blue Devils (18-9, 10-6 ACC). Reigan Richardson chipped in 15 points and four rebounds while Kennedy Brown rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 points and six boards in just 27 minutes of action.
- Duke, leading for the entire 40 minutes, held the Wolfpack (23-5, 11-5 ACC) 18 points below its season average of 76 while forcing NC State into 14 turnovers. The 33-percent shooting marked the second lowest by the Wolfpack this season.
YOUTH MOVEMENT IN DURHAM – RACKIN' UP THE MINUTES
- Duke features one of the nation's youngest rosters in women's college basketball in 2023-24 with the Blue Devils returning just 28.3 percent of their scoring from a season ago.
- Eight of the Blue Devils' 11 players this season are underclassmen with three sophomores -- Ashlon Jackson, Emma Koabel and Taina Mair and five freshmen -- Louann Battiston, Jadyn Donovan, Oluchi Okananwa, Delaney Thomas and Jordan Wood.
- Duke leads the ACC in average total team freshmen minutes played this season, with the Blue Devils' quintet averaging 62.8 minutes per contest (of a possible 200 minutes). When looking at the average total number of minutes logged between freshman and sophomores combined compared to the rest of the league, Duke checks in at No. 2 in that metric with an average of 132.8 minutes, trailing only Georgia Tech (136.4 minutes).
- The Blue Devils also rank second in the league in both percentage of scoring by freshmen (31.7 %), as well as percentage of scoring by freshmen and sophomores combined (63.7 %).
- The only two schools with better production than the Blue Devils in those respective metrics are Virginia at 37.9 % (freshmen only) and Georgia Tech at 79.2 % (freshmen + sophomores).
BLOCK PARTY – EVERYONE'S INVITED
- The Blue Devils' length has proven to be a factor on the defensive end this season as the squad averages 6.2 blocks per game -- No. 2 in the NCAA and tops the ACC (NCAA rankings as of Feb. 26).
- Duke has registered five or more blocks in 20 games this season, including a pair of games with double-digit swats -- Coastal Carolina (12) and NC Central (11) -- as well as six contests with eight or more rejections -- at Stanford, vs. South Carolina, vs. Florida Gulf Coast, vs. Boston College, at Virginia, vs. North Carolina.
- Graduate student Camilla Emsbo, senior Kennedy Brown and rookie Jadyn Donovan have posted 30-plus blocks each, leading the way with 40, 38 and 33 rejections, respectively. They are joined in double digits by freshman Delaney Thomas with 12 and junior Reigan Richardson with 11.
- In the victory over Florida State (1.25), Brown set the Duke record for most blocks in a first quarter, tallying four of her game-high five rejections during the period.
- The Blue Devils' blocks per game average (6.3) is the highest by a Duke squad since the 2006-07 season and would rank fifth all-time in the Duke Single Season Records for highest blocked shot average if the 2023-24 slate ended today.
DEFENSIVE CONSISTENCY – BROWN ANCHORING THE DEFENSIVE SHIP
- Senior Kennedy Brown, Duke's defensive anchor and arguably one of the best defenders in the NCAA, has been a vital part of the team's defensive uptick over the last two seasons.
- Prior to her arrival ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Blue Devils ranked 64th nationally in blocks per game, 148th in scoring defense and 156th in field goal percentage defense. The league standings saw Duke check in at No. 6, No. 8 and No. 11 in these respective metrics while also ranking 10th in defensive rebounding percentage.
- In just her first season with the Blue Devils, Brown helped Duke make a seismic leap on the defensive end as the team finished the 2022-23 campaign ranked second in the NCAA in scoring defense, tied for fourth in defensive points per possession, ninth in field goal percentage defense and 10th in blocks per game.
- The newly revamped and disruptive Duke defense also held each of its opponents below their season scoring average, including 17 of them to 50 points or less.
- Although Duke features almost an entirely different team this season, with Brown patrolling the paint, one thing has remained the same -- the Blue Devils still boast one of the top defenses in the ACC and in the country.
- Duke currently sits third nationally and first in the ACC in blocks per game while also leading the league in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense (ACC Only) for the second consecutive season -- the latter also ranked 16th in the NCAA.
A BATTLE TESTED BUNCH – STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
- Duke has embarked on one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA this season.
- Duke's strength of schedule currently ranks among the top 10, checking in at No. 3 nationally (NCAA rankings as of Feb. 26). The Blue Devils are also in the top 25 of the NCAA NET, ranking No. 20 on the list.
- The Blue Devils' schedule has gotten progressively more challenging each year under Coach Lawson. Duke finished the 2022-23 season with the 10th toughest schedule in the NCAA.
- The Blue Devils have faced 10 opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 thus far this season (4-6).
- Six of the teams Duke has played this season also boast a top-30 SOS -- Stanford (4th), North Carolina (17th), NC State (23rd), Georgia (29th).
- Additionally, Duke owns several notable non-conference wins over teams that currently lead or rank among the top three in their respective conferences:
- Nov. 6 – 83-53 vs. Richmond (currently 24-5, T-1st in A-10 with 14-2 conference record)
- Nov. 14 – 66-62 at Columbia (currently 19-5, T-1st in Ivy League standings at 10-1)
- Dec. 10 – 82-63 vs. Florida Gulf Coast (currently 24-4, 1st place (14-0) in ASUN)
- Dec. 20 – 70-45 vs. Toledo (currently 21-4, 1st in the MAC via a 13-1 mark)
UP NEXT
Duke closes out the 2023-24 regular season slate against in-state rival North Carolina on Sunday, March 3. Action is set for a 4 p.m., tip live on ESPN.
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
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