Duke Set for Top-20 Showdown in Atlanta Sunday

THE OPENING TIP:

Sunday will be the 77th all-time meeting between Duke and Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils have won three straight against the Yellow Jackets and four of the last five, and hold a commanding lead in the all-time series, 65-11.
Winners of four straight, Duke enters the matchup with an overall record of 16-4 and a 7-1 mark in ACC action. The Blue Devils come in fresh off a commanding, 8146, victory at SMU Thursday. Duke held SMU to just 25 points over the final three quarters en route to the dub.
Toby Fournier reeled in her third ACC Freshman of the Week honor earlier this week after putting up 16.0 points, 8.5 boards and 2.0 blocks in wins over No. 18 California (1.16) and Stanford (1.19). She shot 59 percent from the floor and 85 percent at the charity stripe.
Duke checks in at No. 14 in the Associated Press (AP) Top-25 poll and No. 8 in the latest NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings. The Blue Devils' Strength of Schedule (SOS) is also No. 2 nationally.
Duke has seen an uptick on the defensive end over the last month, with flashes of the stifling Duke defense of the past two seasons emerging.
In ACC play, Duke has held each opponent well below its respective season scoring average, holding foes to 48.8 points on 34.4 percent shooting. Entering Thursday's game at SMU, the Blue Devil defense was holding ACC opponents to 0.69 points per possession, a vast improvement from the 0.86 defensive points per possession averaged in non-conference action.
The Blue Devils rank in the top five of seven defensive categories, sitting atop the league in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, three point percentage defense (.247), steals (12.6) and turnover margin (+8.4). Duke is also second in blocks (5.4) and third in rebounding defense (33.1).
In the NCAA rankings, Duke ranks in the top 30 of seven categories - bench points per game (5th), rebounding margin (16th), offensive rebounds per game (20th), steals per game (26th), assist average (28th), forced turnovers per game (29th) and scoring margin (30th).
Duke boasts one of its most potent offenses in recent memory, putting up 76.9 points per game on 46-percent shooting from the field and 36-percent from deep.
Duke's balanced attack is led by the trio of Toby Fournier (13.0), Ashlon Jackson (12.4) and Reigan Richardson (11.1). Overall, Duke has had eight different leading scorers with nine players reaching double figures thus far.
Duke has received a huge lift from its reserves this season, ranking fifth nationally with 33.0 bench points per game. Duke has doubled up its foes, outscoring them 659-307.
Duke has looked to make the extra pass on offense with nearly 60 percent of the team's field goals coming via assists. For the season, the Blue Devils have dropped 348 dimes on 589 buckets (.591).
Taina Mair has done a great job quarterbacking the Duke offense this season, averaging 4.1 assists per contest. Over her last four games, Mair has been a magician with the basketball racking up 20 assists to just one turnover. She dropped six assists against Stanford (1.16) and Virginia (1.12), five versus Cal and three at SMU.
Duke has been solid on the glass this season and checks in among the top 25 nationally in rebound margin (16th) and offensive rebounds per game (20th).
In ACC play, Duke is No. 1 in offensive rebound percentage (.425) and No. 2 in rebounding margin (+7.5). Duke also ranks No. 3 in rebounding defense (33.0) and offensive rebounds per game (15.9) and No. 4 in rebounding offense (40.5).

DEVIL IN THE DETAILS – DUKE DEFENSE RETURNING TO FORM IN ACC PLAY:

Duke has seen an uptick on the defensive end over the last month, with flashes of the stifling Duke defense of the past two seasons emerging.
In ACC play, Duke has held each opponent well below its respective season scoring average, holding foes to 48.8 points on 34.4 percent shooting. Entering Thursday's game at SMU, the Blue Devil defense was holding ACC opponents to 0.69 points per possession, a vast improvement from the 0.86 defensive points per possession averaged in non-conference action.
The Blue Devils are also averaging 12.5 steals and 5.4 blocks per game in league play while forcing the opposition into 23.4 turnovers.
In Duke's win over No. 18 California (Jan. 16), the Blue Devils forced the Golden Bears into 31 turnovers while holding them to just 38 points for the game.
Cal's 38 points were the fewest by a ranked opponent against Duke all-time, with the 34-point margin marking the largest over a ranked foe since 2001, when Duke took down No. 15 Clemson, 92-42.
The Blue Devils rank in the top five of seven defensive categories, sitting atop the league in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, three point percentage defense (.247), steals (12.6) and turnover margin (+8.4). Duke is also second in blocks (5.4) and third in rebounding defense (33.1).

FOURNIER TAKING FLIGHT:

Rookie Toby Fournier has gotten her collegiate career off to a rapid start, putting the nation on notice she's a force to be reckoned with.
Fournier has reached double figures 12 times, netted five 20-point outings and led the team in scoring on seven occasions. She paces Duke on offense (13.0 ppg) and ranks second on the glass with 5.5 boards per game.
Additionally, Fournier has seen an uptick at the charity stripe. She has knocked down her freebies at a 77-percent clip (44-of-57) over her past 13 games, after shooting 55.2% (16-of-29) to open the year.
Fournier reeled in her third ACC Freshman of the Week honor after putting up 16.0 points, 8.5 boards and 2.0 blocks in a 2-0 week for Duke featuring dominant wins over No. 18 California and Stanford. She shot 59 percent from the floor and 85 percent at the charity stripe.
The Toronto, Ontario product registered her first career double-double in the 72-38 win over California (1.16), putting up 23 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. She was extremely efficient in the win, shooting 70 percent (7-of-10) from the field and 90 percent (9-of-10) from the charity stripe. Her nine free throws is tied for 10th all-time on the Duke freshman single game records list.
The rookie closed out the week with another solid performance, chipping in nine points, six rebounds, two rejections and a steal in the dub over Stanford (1.19).
Fournier earned her second ACC Freshman of the Week (12.9) honor after posting a near double-double in the ACC opener against Virginia Tech (12.8) with a career-high 27 points and nine rebounds.
Her 27 points were the most points by a Duke freshman in an ACC opener all-time, with the 12 field goals tied for second on the freshman single-game records list with former Duke standout Alana Beard (3x).
Fournier picked up USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week (11.26) and ACC Freshman of the Week (11.25) honors after a stellar performance - 25 points, six boards, three blocks - versus Belmont (11.21).

OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER:

Duke boasts one of its most potent offenses in recent memory, putting up 76.9 points per game on 46-percent shooting from the field and 36-percent from deep.
The Blue Devils' scoring average and field goal percentage are program bests dating back to the 2013-14 and 2016-17 campaigns, respectively.
Duke has scored 70-plus points and featured at least three double-figure scorers in 16 of 20 games. The Blue Devils opened the 2024-25 slate with 12 consecutive 70-plus outings - the stretch marking a program best.
The Blue Devils have shot 50 percent in eight games and finished with at least five double-digit scorers four times. Duke has eclipsed the 80-point threshold nine times and scored 90-plus points on two occasions.
Duke's balanced attack is led by the trio of Toby Fournier (13.0), Ashlon Jackson (12.4) and Reigan Richardson (11.1). Overall, Duke has had eight different leading scorers with nine players reaching double figures thus far.
Nine players average at least 10 minutes per game with five playing 20-plus - Reigan Richardson (28.2), Ashlon Jackson (27.5), Taina Mair (25.7), Jadyn Donovan (23.7) and Delaney Thomas (21.6).
Duke's 109 points against Oklahoma (11.27) were the Blue Devils' most against a ranked foe since Jan. 24, 2002, when the team scored 102 points in a 20-point triumph over No. 21 North Carolina.
The Blue Devils have eclipsed the 100-point threshold three times under Kara Lawson with the 109 points ranking second in the Kara Era - just two shy of the 111 scored against Charleston Southern in 2022-23.

UP NEXT:
The Blue Devils make the short journey to Raleigh for an in-state tilt at No. 20 NC State Monday, Feb. 3. The primetime top-20 showdown is slated for a 7 p.m., tip, live on ESPN2.

To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube channel by searching "DukeWBB."

50 Seasons of Duke Women's Basketball
The 2024-25 season marks the 50th anniversary of Duke women's basketball, a program rich in tradition, excellence and success. From its early foundations to national dominance, the Blue Devils have become a powerhouse in both athletics and academics. Join us in commemorating five decades of sisterhood, championships and iconic moments as we set the stage for the next 50 years. For more information, please visit goduke.com/WBB50.

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Duke Set for Top-20 Showdown in Atlanta Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Jadyn Donovan

Toby Fournier

Ashlon Jackson

Taina Mair

Reigan Richardson

Delaney Thomas

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Duke Set for Top-20 Showdown in Atlanta Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Jadyn Donovan

Toby Fournier

Ashlon Jackson

Taina Mair

Reigan Richardson

Delaney Thomas

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