Duke takes down No. 6 NC State, 69-58

DURHAM – Duke sophomore guard Taina Mair scored a team-high 20 points and the Blue Devils held sixth-ranked NC State to 33 percent shooting en route to a thrilling 69-58 victory in women’s basketball action Sunday inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Mair registered her third 20-point game this season on 7-of-17 shooting, pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and dished three assists to lead the Blue Devils. Reigan Richardson chipped in 15 points and four rebounds while Kennedy Brown rounded out the double-digit scorers with 15 points and six boards in just 27 minutes of action.

Duke, leading for the entire 40 minutes, held the Wolfpack 13 points below its season average of 71, forcing NC State into 14 turnovers. The 33 percent shooting is the second lowest by the Wolfpack this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Duke got off to a rapid start and held an 11-2 lead at the first quarter media timeout.
• Richardson cashed in the first two Duke buckets via midrange jumpers to get the Blue Devil offense going. Brown dropped in a layup on Duke’s next possession to give Duke the 6-0 advantage.
• After NC State managed to break the seal on its end of the court, Mair buried a triple from the left slot before Camilla Emsbo poked the ball away and took it the length of the court for the transition finish and a nine-point Blue Devil lead.
• The visitors cut into the deficit, but Duke maintained a 13-8 advantage after one.
• Sophomore Emma Koabel provided a spark off the bench for Duke scoring six of the team’s first 10 points of the second period, helping the Blue Devils extend their lead to nine, 23-14, at the 3:27 mark.
• Classmates Ashlon Jackson (5) and Mair had hot hands in the second quarter as well, with Mair scoring seven of her 10 first-half points during the frame.
• Overall, the Blue Devils doubled NC State on the scoreboard (22-11) across the 10 minutes and closed the half drilling six of their last eight shots from the field. Duke capped the first half with an exclamation point via Jackson’s deep, left-wing triple as time expired. At the break, the Blue Devils held a 35-19 lead.
• Duke kept the pressure on as it netted eight of the third quarter’s first 10 points. Richardson once again got things going before back-to-back triples by Mair and Brown increased the Blue Devils’ margin to 21, 43-21, with 5:29 to…