Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball at Virginia Tech on December 7, 2025 at 2 p.m.
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2 p.m.
Women's Basketball
at Virginia Tech
Sunday, December 7
Blacksburg, Va.
2 p.m.
Duke University
at
Virginia Tech
Duke Opens ACC Play at Virginia Tech Sunday
12/6/2025 10:24:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Opening Tip
About Virginia Tech/Series History
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB".
#GoDuke
- Duke hits the road to open ACC play Sunday at Virginia Tech. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., on ACC Network. The Blue Devils, 3-6 on the year, are coming off a stretch of playing Nos. 2, 3 and 5 in a stretch of eight days. They most recently battled No. 5 LSU in a 93-77 setback in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
- Duke's four losses are against the current NET No. 2 LSU, No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 South Carolina, No. 19 Baylor, No. 30 West Virginia and No. 79 South Florida. The Blue Devils are led on offense by sophomore Toby Fournier's 15.6 points per game. Ashlon Jackson is dropping 12.8 points per game, and Taina Mair follows with an average of 10.8 to round out the double-digit scorers. Fournier and Delaney Thomas lead the charge on the glass, averaging 6.1 and 5.6 rebounds per game, respectively. Fournier is the top rim protector, averaging 2.3 blocks per game while Jordan Wood is at 1.5 per game. Mair is the floor general, dishing 5.7 assists to 2.7 turnovers per game.
- The Hokies are 7-2 overall and coming off a thrilling 68-64 win over Florida in the ACC/SEC Challenge. Virginia Tech has won two straight after beating Oregon State in the second game of the Paradise Jam. This will be the team's seventh at home as the Hokies have left the state of Virginia only for the Paradise Jame in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Carleigh Wenzel paces the offense with 15 points per game while Carys Baker is chipping in 13.3 points per game. Mel Daley (12.0) and Kilah Freelon (10.0) round out the double-digit scorers. Freelon leads the efforts on the boards, pulling down 9.3 rebounds per game. Mackenzie Nelson is the floor leader with 6.0 assists per game to just 17 turnovers.
- Duke looks to end a four-game losing streak by starting conference action with a win over the Hokies. The Blue Devils are 2-3 in ACC openers under head coach Kara Lawson. Overall, Duke is 31-17 in ACC openers, which included 14 straight wins from 2001-15.
- Duke is 3-6 overall and playing its seventh game away from Durham this season. Sophomore Toby Fournier headlines the offense, averaging 15.6 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game. She has registered double digits in eight of her nine games. Ashlon Jackson is chipping in 12.8 points per game and Taina Mair 10.8. Jackson, Duke's top three-point threat, knocked down a season-high four three-pointers against in each of the past two games. Mair is the quarterback of the offense, adding 5.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game and a team-best 21 steals. Delaney Thomas has been a consistent presence, shooting at least 50 percent in all nine games. She also grabs 5.6 rebounds per game and helps lead Duke's defense with 16 steals.
- Duke is shooting 41 percent from the field, including 32 percent from distance.
- The first edition of the NET rankings were released Dec. 1, with Duke coming in at No. 49 and LSU No. 1. As of Dec. 5, Duke was 47th with the strength of schedule sitting at fourth. Virginia Tech is 55th in the NET with a SOS of 202.
- Duke has faced five Q1 teams, the most of any Power 4 program and is tied with Southern out of the SWAC for the most of any Division I team.
- Six of Virginia Tech's wins have come against Q4 opponents while two of Duke's victories were. The Hokies' triumph over Florida Thursday is their "best" win of the campaign while Liberty is Duke's highest rated victory.
About Virginia Tech/Series History
- Duke and Virginia Tech meet for the 40th time since the first matchup during the 1980-81 season. The Blue Devils are 30-9 all-time against the Hokies and 12-5 in Blacksburg. Duke won the lone matchup last season, besting VT in Durham, 81-59. Under head coach Kara Lawson, the Blue Devils are 3-5 with three of the five setbacks coming at Cassell Coliseum.
- Virginia Tech has left the state of Virginia for just two games, traveling to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam.
- The Hokies are averaging 75.3 points per game while knocking down 41.6 percent of their shots from the floor. Virginia Tech is only hitting 27 percent of its chances from long range while its foes are hitting 32.5 percent of its trifectas.
- Junior Delaney Thomas is a consistent force for the Blue Devils and can be counted on for six to 10 points per game. Averaging 6.5 points per game for her career, Thomas is steady on the offensive end, shooting at least 50 percent in 45 of her 79 career games. She owns 22 double-digit scoring games, four of which have come in the past five games. She is averaging 9.2 points per game this season, a +2.1 increase from last season and a up 4.2 from her rookie campaign.
- On the defensive end of the floor, Thomas averages 4.3 rebounds per game for her career and has collected five-plus rebounds in 29 contests. She is second on the team with 16 steals and has drawn a team-high three charges.
- Ashlon Jackson has started to hit her shooting touch after getting off to a slow start. The senior guard has gone 8-of-19 from deep in the past two games after hitting 6-18 in the three games prior.
- The four three-pointers against LSU pushed her career total to 182, placing her fifth in Duke history, passing Jasmine Thomas' 180. She needs just 18 more threes to become just the fifth player in Duke lore to surpass 200. Her 513 attempts are sixth.
- Duke takes a break for final exams for the next 11 days. The Blue Devils return to Cameron Indoor Stadium to host South Dakota State Dec. 18. The Blue Devils travel to Nashville, Tennessee to take on Belmont before taking a short holiday break.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB".
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
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