Duke Stifles Syracuse in 71-51 ACC Road Win

Sunday, December 28

Syracuse, N.Y.

4 p.m.

Duke University

7-6,2-0ACC

Syracuse

11-2,1-1ACC

Duke

Syracuse

Duke Stifles Syracuse in 71-51 ACC Road Win

12/28/2025 6:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Duke sophomore Toby Fournier scored 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead the Blue Devils to an impressive 71-51 victory at Syracuse in ACC women's basketball action Sunday afternoon.

Fournier finished with 22 points and seven rebounds to lead a trio of double-digit scorers. Riley Nelson and Ashlon Jackson both added 11 points apiece, while Arianna Roberson was a force on the glass with a game-high 12 rebounds.

Duke moves to 7-6 overall and 2-0 in league action on the season, while the Orange suffers just their second loss of the year to fall to 11-2 overall and 1-1 in ACC play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Turnovers hampered the Blue Devils in the early minutes of the opening quarter as Syracuse took advantage of five Duke giveaways to take an 8-4 lead into the first media timeout. All eight of the Orange's points were a result of Blue Devil turnovers.
After Syracuse extended its lead to six, 10-4, Roberson ended the scoring drought, hitting the backend of two free throws. Roberson got the ball to roll in a couple of possessions later for Duke's first field goal in 4:42 and jump-started a 7-0 run to tie the game, 14-14, after the first quarter. Mair registered five straight points in the spurt with Jackson capping it with a drive to the basket.
The Blue Devils turned the ball over just twice in the final 5:10 of the first period and held a 14-9 advantage on the glass.
The momentum stayed with Duke at the start of the second quarter as Delaney Thomas put Duke into the lead for the first time since it was 2-0. Jordan Wood scored three points the old-fashioned way, and Fournier laid the ball in to push the run to 14-0 and the Blue Devils' lead to 21-14.
Duke was stellar on the defensive end in the final minutes of the first period and into the second quarter, holding the Orange without a point for 6:33 and without a field goal for 7:38 as Dominique Darius pulled Syracuse back within five, 21-16.
There was a lid on the basket for both teams in the final three minutes of the second stanza, with Duke scoring the lone basket to head into the locker room with a 33-22 advantage.
The Blue Devils were stellar on the glass in the first 20 minutes, outrebounding Syracuse 27-17. Duke held the Orange to eight points on 3-of-14 shooting in the second quarter.
Duke kept its foot on the gas in the third quarter, starting the period on an 11-4 run to stretch the lead to as many as 18, 44-26. Four different players scored in the stretch with Jackson leading the charge with five points.
The Blue Devils tacked on four more points in the final three minutes to take a 50-35 lead into the final 10 minutes.
After 30 minutes without a three-pointer, Nelson knocked down two 90 seconds apart to extend the lead to 19, 56-37. The Blue Devils did not falter down the stretch en route to a convincing 71-51 win.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils return to the friendly confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium for a pair of ACC contests Jan. 1 and Jan. 4. Duke hosts Boston College at 1 p.m., on New Year's Day and welcomes Notre Dame to Durham Jan. 4 for a 12 p.m., tipoff on ACC Network.

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."

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