The Duke women’s basketball team headed to Columbia with all the momentum in the world, but the defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks handed the Blue Devils their first loss in almost a month on Thursday.
Duke knocked off the Kansas State Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners at the Ball Dawgs Classic last week, a pair of top-10 victories that vaulted them forward onto the national stage. Sunday’s win over the Columbia Lions extended their win streak to six games and pushed them within the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll.
Sophomores Jadyn Donovan and Delaney Thomas looked primed to keep that form going with two buckets in the first two minutes, each assisting on the other’s basket, but the Gamecocks quickly reminded the nation why they’ve lost two games since the 2022 SEC Tournament.
South Carolina starters Bree Hall and Te-Hina Paopao connected on back-to-back 3-point looks, a quick left hook that put the Blue Devils behind by four. Duke guard Taina Mair cut to the basket for two points just two minutes later, but Gamecocks guard Raven Johnson sandwiched that possession with five points of her own to keep the run moving.
By the time Mair knocked down a 3-pointer of her own with 3:47 left in the opening quarter, all she could do was cut the South Carolina lead to 19-9. The Gamecocks ended the first 10 minutes with a 28-12 advantage.
“We didn’t start the game as we hoped,” head coach Kara Lawson said after the game. “We spent the game trying to fight out of the hole. The hole was a little too deep with a team of that quality.”
Mair and Thomas did their best to will the Blue Devils back into the ballgame, each contributing 14 points. Thomas made all seven of her shots from the floor while Mair ended up with four rebounds, assists, and steals each. While Duke outscored South Carolina 58-53 over the final three quarters, including a 22-point performance in the final frame, it all added up to an 81-70 loss.
“We showed resiliency,” Lawson continued. “I was proud of that, proud of how we stayed in it.”
[autotag]Reigan Richardson[/autotag], the reigning AP national player of the week after her 35-point game against the Sooners, only made one of her eight shots as the Gamecocks held her to three points. Freshman sensation Toby Fournier, the forward who scored at least 10 points in six of her first nine collegiate games, only mustered two points against the reigning champs.
The Blue Devils return to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a Sunday battle with the Virginia Tech Hokies, their first conference game of the season.