BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — No. 2 seed Duke picked up a 47-38 victory over No. 3 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Friday, holding the Tar Heels to just 25 points over the final three quarters. It was the first meeting between the rivals in NCAA Tournament history.
Duke head coach Kara Lawson, who was hired in July 2020, has the Blue Devils back in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2013.
“My first conversation with [Toby] Fournier was summer 2020, my first conversation with [Jadyn] Donovan was 2020 and the same with Ashlon [Jackson],” Lawson told reporters postgame. “We targeted the young high school players that fit who we wanted to be. We always tried to look at it through that lens because we weren’t very good [then].”
Now, Duke is built for this stage. After falling short in the Sweet 16 last season, the Blue Devils finally broke through. Here are three takeaways from their victory ahead of an Elite Eight clash with No. 1 seed South Carolina on Sunday.
Duke’s bench delivers a spark
Duke struggled out of the gate, missing its first nine shots from the field to trail 11-0 at the first media timeout. The Blue Devils turned to their bench for a spark, leaning on senior point guard Vanessa de Jesus and sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa to change the tide.
De Jesus, who was held scoreless in Duke’s last three games, immediately made an impact, driving to the rim for a layup to cut the deficit to 6 points at the end of the first quarter.
“For me, being a vet, it’s about bringing that composure, and I understand what we need as a team to stay together,” de Jesus told reporters postgame.
Duke’s offense went back into a slump in the second quarter, but de Jesus was once again there to stabilize the offense, adding 6 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field in the second quarter.
“If you’ve watched us all year, you know our bench has been pivotal,” Lawson said. “I know we consistently have games changed by players off the bench, and it’s different ones [every night]. Most people around the country probably didn’t have de Jesus on the bingo card today, but we did, and we know what she’s capable of.”
Okananwa, the ACC Tournament MVP, made her presence known on both ends with her motor. She was the Blue Devils’ primary on-ball defender, helping hold North Carolina guards Reniya Kelly and Indya Nivar to 14 points on 25% shooting from the field with six turnovers.
“Playing under Coach [Lawson], she’s created this culture where we want to play defense because it’s such a big part in how we win,” Okananwa told reporters postgame. “It really shows that with our defensive mindset, it’s all heart, and it’s all about playing for one another.”
On offense, Okananwa finished with a team-high 12 points, knocking down Duke’s only two first-half 3-pointers to give the Blue Devils their first double-digit lead of the afternoon.
“We all understood that we’ve been here before,” Okananwa said. “With our connectivity, we’re able to climb out of any deficit if we just refocus on what we need to do. Our focus was to keep doing us, and we could chip away.”
Okananwa also recorded 10 rebounds for the fifth time this season — an impressive feat for a 5’10 guard.
“She’s a high flyer. It’s crazy,” guard Taina Mair told The Next. “I’ve never seen a [rebounder] like that in my life.”
Duke’s bench outscored its starters 26 to 21 in the victory, with de Jesus and Okananwa contributing 20 of those bench points.
Donovan’s defense changes the game
Donovan, a sophomore forward, finished with zero points on 0-for-2 shooting from the field. At first glance, you’d think it was a disappointing performance, but that wasn’t the case.
“Yeah, zero points, but I feel like I score by assisting and stopping players on defense,” Donovan told The Next postgame.
At 6’ with a 6’7.5 wingspan, Donovan is Duke’s most versatile defender. She can defend guards, wings and forwards, and she routinely holds her own defending taller players in the post.
“Last year, I would foul a lot because I didn’t understand how to defend guards and posts at the same time,” Donovan said. “Through a lot of film and practice every day, I’ve been able to master that in a way.”
A minute into the game, Donovan blocked 6’3 Maria Gakdeng at the rim. Donovan blocked her again on a post-up in the third quarter.
“Push as hard as possible,” Donovan said about her process defending taller players in the post. “It’s easier when I’m behind them because I can engage the block in a way, but yeah, be as physical as possible and try not to get too far in front so that they won’t lob it over me.”
North Carolina forward Alyssa Ustby and Gakdeng combined to shoot 0-for-6 from the field when Donovan defended them one-on-one.
Donovan is a nonshooter and struggles to finish around the rim consistently, but she still adds value on offense with her offensive rebounding and quick processing speed. She can find impressive passing angles to cutters within Duke’s set-heavy offensive scheme.
“Top recruits come into college thinking [they’ll] come in dominating the same as high school, and I honestly felt the same way, but college is different,” Donovan said. “I feel like I’ve figured out where to fit in over the last two years, and I’m happy to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
North Carolina struggles without Gakdeng
North Carolina led 13-9 at the 8:13 mark of the second quarter when Gakdeng hobbled to the locker room with an ankle injury. She missed the rest of the half, and Duke took control, outscoring North Carolina 19-7. Those 19 points were the most Duke scored in any quarter on Friday.
“We had to ask Alyssa to play 40 minutes, and we couldn’t get her any rest,” North Carolina head coach Courtney Banghart told reporters postgame. “Maria’s such a rim protector, an elite rebounder, and she’s your late-clock [option] where you can give it to her. We didn’t have any of that, and Duke forces you to work late [into the shot clock].”
Gakdeng returned to start the second half and tried to push through the injury, but she wasn’t at full strength. She played just eight minutes in the second half and went scoreless, and the Tar Heels struggled to regain their rhythm.
“I tried to act like it was next man up, but when you lose Maria early in the game … that’s a big loss,” Banghart said.
Duke will face South Carolina at 1 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday for a spot in the Final Four. The Blue Devils’ last Final Four was in 2006, when they were led by star guards Lindsey Harding and Monique Currie.
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