#23/22 NC State Defeats #12/15 Duke, 55-52

January 17, 2017

RALEIGH – The No. 23/22 NC State women's basketball team (14-5, 4-2 ACC) picked up its third straight win in the series against the No. 12/15 Duke Blue Devils Sunday afternoon, winning 55-52 on Kay Yow Court inside Reynolds Coliseum.

Sunday's win was NC State's third over a team ranked within the national top 15 since Atlantic Coast Conference play began on Dec. 29. It also marked the Wolfpack's first three-game winning streak over the rival Blue Devils (15-3, 3-2 ACC) since Feb. 2, 1996.

"I'm proud of our kids," NC State head coach Wes Moore said in his postgame press conference. "It wasn't pretty at times, especially in the second half. Our kids are warriors and they just find a way to win. Our word for the day was 'finish,' and that's what they did today.

"Duke did a great job defensively. We had a tough time getting looks. As a coach, I have to break down this film and see if I can get us some better looks."

Fast Facts
-Chelsea Nelson recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
-Dominique Wilson led all players with 16 points (3-7 from distance).
-Duke entered Sunday's game ranked ninth nationally in FG percentage (.479), but was held to 20-54 (.370) shooting by the Wolfpack.
-NC State led for 32:50.
-The Wolfpack now leads the series 43-35.
-NC State went 7-16 from distance in the first half but was held to 0-12 from range in the second half.

NC State stormed out to an early 24-15 lead through the opening 10 minutes and slugged through a second quarter during which the teams combined for 6-27 shooting to earn a 35-21 halftime advantage. The Blue Devils made short work of NC State's lead in the third quarter, pulling within three on two occasions (39-36) and (41-38) in the final minute of the period. Junior Akela Maize hit an important jumper with five seconds remaining in the third quarter, extending NC State's advantage to five (43-38) heading into the final stanza.

A 7-0 Duke run over the first 2:03 of the fourth quarter temporarily quieted the enthusiastic NC State crowd and gave the Blue Devils a 45-43 advantage, their first lead since 10-9 at the midway point of the first quarter. The lead would change hands six times over the next 5:15, with NC State claiming it once and for all when Nelson scored down low to make it 53-52 with 2:10 remaining.

Duke had three cracks at reclaiming the lead, but shots by Oderah Chidom (00:59), Leaonna Odom (00:56), and Lexie Brown (00:05) did not fall, and Nelson snagged her 10th rebound of the game on the missed Brown three-pointer to tip the balance squarely in the Wolfpack's favor. Wilson stepped up to the line and hit two free throws to put the game nearly out of reach, and strong defense by the Wolfpack forced a Duke turnover in the final second to seal the victory.

NC State will now enjoy its first bye date of the ACC season by not playing a game on Thursday, Jan. 19. The Wolfpack will be back in action when it hosts Clemson on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 2 p.m.

#GoPack | @PackWomensBball

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Team Stats

Dominique Wilson

Chelsea Nelson

Ashley Williams

Jennifer Mathurin

Players Mentioned

Akela Maize

Chelsea Nelson

Dominique Wilson

Players Mentioned

Akela Maize

Chelsea Nelson

Dominique Wilson