Duke Opens Players Era Championship with No. 2 South Carolina

The Opening Tip

The November road warriors continue the five-game road swing in the Players Era Women's Championship in Las Vegas. The Blue Devils open with No. 2 South Carolina Nov. 26 at 4:30 p.m. (ET) and face either No. 3 UCLA or No. 4 Texas Nov. 27. All games will be televised on truTV and streamed on HBO Max.
Duke is 3-3 overall and coming off an 85-72 loss at South Florida Thursday. The Blue Devils are led on offense by sophomore Toby Fournier's 15.5 points per game. Ashlon Jackson and Taina Mair round out the double-digit scorers, dropping in 11.7 and 11.3 points per game. Fournier and Arianna Roberson pull down 6.2 rebounds per game and are the top rim protectors with 2.8 and 2.0 blocks per game, respectively. Mair is the floor general, dishing 4.7 assists to 1.3 turnovers per game.
The Gamecocks are 6-0 and averaging 94.8 points per game and shooting an impressive 56.5 percent from the field - fifth and second nationally, respectively, after their commanding 121-49 victory over Queens Sunday.
Duke looks to rebound following its loss to South Florida last Thursday. The Blue Devils scored 72 points, but 57-percent shooting from the Bulls was too much to overcome. The Blue Devils held the Gamecocks to just 54 points in the last meeting - the fewest points scored by South Carolina since a 49-33 win over Miami March 20, 2022. Duke has allowed 80-plus points in a game just seven times in the 144 games under head coach Kara Lawson.
Taina Mair is having a fantastic start to her senior season, averaging 11.3 points, 4.7 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 steals while committing just eight turnovers. She recently joined elite company at Duke by eclipsing the 1,000 points and 500 assists benchmarks.

About South Carolina/Series History

Duke and South Carolina meet for the 12th time since the inaugural matchup in Durham in 2001. The Blue Devils are 2-9 against the Gamecocks and last defeating the perennial power in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Dec. 4, 2016. The squads squared off twice last season as Duke came up just short, 54-50, in the Elite Eight matchup.
South Carolina enters the game unbeaten at 6-0 and ranking fourth in scoring margin and fifth in scoring offense. The Gamecocks have scored over 100 points in three games this season and registered a season-low 65 points in the win over Clemson.
On the offensive end, the Gamecocks are averaging 94.8 points per game on impressive 56.5 shooting, including 42 percent from long range. The defensive glass is a strong suit for South Carolina, ranking third nationally with 35.2 defensive boards per game. The Gamecocks have forced 292 missed shots by their opponents to lead the nation in field goal percentage defense (.270).

It's a Block Party

Featuring nine players standing 6-0 or taller, and five Blue Devils at 6-2 or taller, Duke is long and athletic. With four guards at 6-0 or taller, Duke wreaks havoc defensively both on the perimeter and around the rim, and the statistics reflect that, with Duke ranking third nationally in blocks per game (8.3).
Duke recorded an impressive 14 blocks against Baylor - tied for sixth in program history and the most since the 16 against Winthrop in 2016.
Through six games, Duke leads the ACC in blocks per game (8.3). The Blue Devils' 50 total blocks are fourth in the country. The 14 denials against Baylor are tied for the most in a game by a Division I team this season.
Duke has posted double-digit blocks in two games this season. In the 138 games under Lawson prior to the 2025-26 campaign the Blue Devils had just five games with double-digit denials.

Up Next

Duke returns home to Durham for the first time since Nov. 12, hosting No. 5 LSU in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m., on ESPN. The Blue Devils open ACC play Dec. 7 at Virginia Tech before taking a break for final exams.

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