Duke Hosts No. 5 LSU in ACC/SEC Challenge Thursday

Gameday Details

Thursday's game inside Cameron Indoor Stadium will be a white out, so Blue Devil fans come dressed in your white Duke gear. Tickets are available for purchase here.
Tipoff is slated for 9 p.m. on ESPN with Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo calling the action.

The Opening Tip

Duke returns home to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time since Nov. 12 when it hosts No. 5 LSU Thursday, Dec. 4. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m., on ESPN. This will be the third consecutive top-five opponent for the Blue Devils.
Duke is 3-5 overall and coming off losses to No. 2 South Carolina and No. 3 UCLA at the Players Era Women's Championship. The Blue Devils are led on offense by sophomore Toby Fournier's 15.8 points per game. Ashlon Jackson is dropping 12.4 points per game, and Taina Mair follows with an average of 10.4 to round out the double-digit scorers. Fournier and Delaney Thomas lead the charge on the glass, averaging 6.5 and 5.9 rebounds per game, respectively. They are also the top rim protectors, as Fournier averages 2.5 and Thomas follows with 1.3 blocks per game. Mair is the floor general, dishing 5.5 assists to 2.1 turnovers per game.
The Tigers are 8-0 and have scored over 100 points in eight straight games and sport a scoring margin of 59.8. The Blue Devils will be LSU's second Power 4 opponent this season after the Tigers defeated Washington State, 112-35, in the Paradise Jam.
Duke looks to rebound following the pair of setbacks in Las Vegas. Against South Carolina, the Blue Devils scored 66 points and grabbed 35 rebounds in the game – the most by a South Carolina opponent this season. It was UCLA's hot shooting that doomed the Blue Devils, as the Bruins knocked down a scorching 59 percent of their three-pointers. Duke had a season-low 11 turnovers in the game.
Toby Fournier is having a solid start to her sophomore season, recording two double-doubles and leading the team in points (15.8) and rebounds (6.5). Scoring in double digits in seven of her eight games, Fournier has been Duke's most consistent scorer and has shot at least 50 percent in five of eight outings.

Breaking Down First Net Rankings

The first edition of the NET rankings were released Monday, with Duke coming in at No. 49 and LSU No. 1. The Blue Devils' strength of schedule is seventh compared to the Tigers' 330.
Duke has faced Nos. 1, 4, 6, 20 and 28 already this season and is scheduled to play No. 13 North Carolina twice. Overall, the Blue Devils are slated to take on 12 teams currently ranked in the top 56.

About LSU/Series History

Duke and LSU meet for the sixth time overall and for just the second time in the regular season. The Blue Devils are 3-2 against the Tigers and own the most recent victory in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
LSU enters Thursday's matchup ranked fifth in the AP poll and No. 1 in the NCAA women's basketball NET rankings. The Tigers lead the nation in scoring average at 112 points per game. LSU is shooting 55.5 percent from the field and collecting 52.5 rebounds per game - the best numbers among Division I programs. LSU is out-rebounding its opponents by 25.3 per game.
Offensively, Flau'jae Johnson is averaging 17 points per game, while MiLaysia Fulwiley is chipping in 16.1. ZaKiyah Johnson is shooting a scorching 65 percent from the field for 13.5 points per game, and Kate Koval paces the effort on the glass at 8.5 rebounds per game.

Lawson vs Top 25 Opponents

Duke will face a top-five opponent for the third time this season and the 14th time since head coach Kara Lawson took the reins during the 2020-21 season. The Blue Devils last defeated a top-five foe nine years to the day Thursday, beating No. 3 South Carolina, 74-63, inside Cameron Indoor Stadium Dec. 4, 2016.
Duke is 0-13 versus top-five opponents under Lawson and 20-31 overall against top-25 competition since the 2020-21 campaign. The Blue Devils have fared well against Nos. 6-10, going 10-4. When unranked, Duke is 7-15 versus ranked foes.
Duke is 8-8 in top-25 matchups inside Cameron Indoor Stadium under Lawson.

Mair Does It All

Mair has done it all this season for the Blue Devils, leading the team in minutes (33.2/gm). She has scored double-digits in four of the eight games, collected at least five rebounds in five contests and picked up three-plus steals four times. The Boston native's 18 steals are eighth in the ACC.
Last season, Mair registered double-digits in nine games and has 27 overall in a Duke uniform. Her nine rebounds at South Florida this season were a Duke career high as she came up just short of her first double-double as a Blue Devil.
With 19 points and three assists at South Florida, Mair became the fifth player to reach 1,000 career points and 500 career assists while wearing a Blue Devil uniform. She is the sixth to hit 500 assists. Needing 62 rebounds to surpass 500, Mair would be just the third Duke player to finish her collegiate career with those three milestones.

Up Next

Duke opens ACC play Dec. 7 at Virginia Tech before taking a break for final exams.

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

#GoDuke

Duke Hosts No. 5 LSU in ACC/SEC Challenge Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Toby Fournier

Ashlon Jackson

Taina Mair

Delaney Thomas

Duke information

Duke Hosts No. 5 LSU in ACC/SEC Challenge Thursday

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Toby Fournier

Ashlon Jackson

Taina Mair

Delaney Thomas

Related Videos

Duke information