The Duke women’s basketball team picked up a second straight win on Sunday, defeating No. 25 South Dakota State in its own building in a 75-71 shootout.
After two scoreless minutes from both teams to start the game, Duke scored 12 points over the final 4:03 of the first quarter to take a five-point lead at the first break. The Blue Devils kept comfortable control throughout the second quarter, heading back to the locker room with a 38-30 advantage, but the second half belonged to sophomore Jadyn Donovan.
Donovan scored eight points in the first two quarters, but two baskets in the first three minutes of the third helped create a 44-38 advantage. The Jackrabbits scored nine of the next 10 points to retake the lead, but Donovan made it to the basket twice in about a minute near the end of the quarter. Her free throw after the second of those buckets put the Blue Devils back out in front, keeping pace in a back-and-forth battle.
Donovan came through one last time in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, converting two straight looks on consecutive possessions with less than seven minutes on the clock to turn a tie game into a four-point lead.
The Blue Devils never trailed again, and when the Jackrabbits closed within two with 2:42 to play, Donovan surprised no one in the building by getting to the basket one last time for two more points.
“She was unbelievable,” Lawson said of Donovan after the game. “She was a presence on both ends for us all afternoon. Jadyn is the biggest reason we were able to come away with the win.”
Donovan ended the game with 23 points and 15 rebounds, leading the team in both categories.
Ashlon Jackson, who scored 22 points against Liberty in the second game of the season, finished with 18 points for her fourth consecutive double-digit game. She also tacked on the final point of the game, making a free-throw in the final seconds to cement the two-score advantage.
The Blue Devils, now 4-1 on the season, host Belmont on Thursday for their next game.