Blue Devils Have Quick Turnaround with Miami on Tuesday
#21 Duke Blue Devils (11-4, 2-3) at Miami Hurricanes (9-5, 2-2)
Tuesday, Jan. 18 • 2:00 PM
Coral Gables, Fla. • ACC Network
Watsco Center
Tickets: www.MiamiHurricanes.com (1-800-462-2637)
Live Stats: www.GoDuke.com
Radio: Blue Devil Sports Network (WDNC 620 AM, www.GoDuke.com, Varsity Network App)
Radio Talent: Chris Edwards (PXP)
TV/Video: ACC Network
TV Talent: Angel Gray (PXP), Christy Thomaskutty (Color)
Game Notes l Watch on ACC Network l Listen Live l Live Stats l Twitter l Duke Media Hub l Duke Media Guide
Setting the Scene…
The 21st-ranked Duke women’s basketball team (11-4, 2-3 ACC) will close a stretch of three games in six days on Tuesday, Jan. 18 as the Blue Devils travel to Coral Gables, Fla., to face Miami (9-5, 2-2) at 2 p.m., in the Wastco Center.
The game will be carried live on ACC Network with Angel Gray (PXP) and Christy Thomaskutty (Color) calling the action. It will also be aired on the Blue Devil Sports Network via WDNC AM 620, the Varsity Network app and www.GoDuke.com with Chris Edwards (PXP) on the air at 1:45 p.m.
What is Next?…
Duke will return home to host Virginia (Jan. 23) and North Carolina (Jan. 27) in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
A Look at Miami…
Miami owns a 9-5 overall and 2-2 ACC mark, while coming off a victory over nationally ranked Georgia Tech on Sunday, 46-45. The Hurricanes have been led by Kelsey Marshall (13.7 points, 38 treys) and Lola Pendande (7.4 points, 5.6 rebounds).
The Series with Miami…
Duke and Miami will meet for the 20th time in school history with the Blue Devils leading the series 15-4. In games played in Coral Gables, Fla., Duke owns a 6-3 record.
Taylor Misses Second Straight Game…
Celeste Taylor missed her second straight game since being injured at Syracuse on Jan. 9.
In the two games Taylor has been out, the Blue Devils have hit 35.9 percent from the field, 31.0 percent from downtown and averaged only 57.0 points. The Duke defense has allowed 74.5 points in those games as well. In the first 13 games with Taylor, Duke hit 44.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from downtown and averaged 74.7 points. The Blue Devil defense was allowing only 59.4 points with Taylor as well.
Over the last five games, Duke has missed at least one student-athlete in each game due to either injury or health and safety protocols.
Milestone Watch…
• Elizabeth Balogun is four points away from reaching the 1,000-point mark over her four-year career.
• Jade Williams owns 105 career blocks and needs 26 rejections to move into a tie for 10th on Duke’s all-time charts along with Mistie Bass (131).
Storylines/Other Blue Devil Notes…
• If Miela Goodchild scores double-digits at Miami, she will have 10+ points in five straight games, which would tie a career-best from her freshman campaign.
• Duke is looking to snap a two-game losing streak in ACC action and avoid only the sixth three-game losing streak in ACC play since 1997-98.
• In her last trip to Miami in 2020, Jade Williams tallied 16 points, two rebounds, two blocks, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes. She hit 7-of-10 field goals.
• After missing the Virginia Tech game on Thursday due to health and safety protocols, Lexi Gordon returned at NC State and hit two treys and scored seven points in 30 minutes.
• Duke forced only four turnovers at NC State, which was the fewest in a game by an opponent in Blue Devil history. NC State scored 84 points, which was the most by any team against a Kara Lawson coached Blue Devil squad.
• In both losses to Virginia Tech, the Blue Devils were without key members of the team. In the first game, Duke was without Shayeann Day-Wilson, Imani Lewis and Emma Schmidt. Then, Duke was without Lexi Gordon and Celeste Taylor in the second contest.
• Since Shayeann Day-Wilson missed the Dec. 30 game against Virginia Tech due to health and safety protocols, she has hit only 12-of-41 field goals and 3-of-16 treys. Day-Wilson has averaged 9.8 points during those four games.
• In ACC games only, Elizabeth Balogun ranks seventh in scoring with a 14.8 per game average, while ranking fourth in field goal percentage (52.6) and tied for 15th in blocks (1.0). Miela Goodchild leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage (51.9), ranks second in 3-point field goals made (2.8), tied for 15th in rebounding (6.2) and tied for 13th in assists (2.8). Onome Akinbode-James ranks tied for 15th in rebounding (6.2) and tied for 15th in blocks (1.0).
• Rookie Shayeann Day-Wilson is the only freshman in the ACC that leads their team in scoring with an 12.0 per game average. Day-Wilson is the only rookie in the ACC to also lead her team in 3-point field goals made (29).
• Duke features six different Blue Devils that have led the squad in scoring at least one game — Lexi Gordon (3), Miela Goodchild (1), Celeste Taylor (1), Shayeann Day-Wilson (5), Elizabeth Balogun (4) and Onome Akinbode-James (1).
• Sophomore Vanessa de Jesus came off the bench for the first time in her career against Notre Dame and played a career-low three minutes. She had started the first 15 games of her collegiate career.
• The Blue Devils currently feature four different players who have scored 20+ points in a game this season — Celeste Taylor, Lexi Gordon, Elizabeth Balogun (2) and Shayeann Day-Wilson.
• In the 19 games under Kara Lawson since arriving, Duke has scored 70+ points in 14 of the 19 contests. The Blue Devils have won every game in which they have scored 70 points or more.
• Elizabeth Balogun steps on the court in 2021-22 with Duke marking the third different ACC squad she has played for. She is the first women’s basketball player in ACC history to play for three different teams in the league (Louisville, Georgia Tech).
• Imani Lewis’ 30 career double-doubles entered the season ranking tied for 23rd nationally in the NCAA for active career leaders.
• Blue Devil senior Elizabeth Balogun represented her home country of Nigeria in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. She appeared in all three contests for the Nigerians and played with former Duke standout Oderah Chidom with Nigeria.
• Duke features three graduate students in 2021-22 that are all attending the Duke Fuqua School of Business — Amaya Finklea-Guity, Jade Williams and Lexi Gordon.
• Kara Lawson‘s playing career has her in elite company as she is one of only three NCAA Division I women’s basketball coaches to play in a NCAA Final Four, win an Olympic Gold Medal and win a WNBA Championship (Lindsay Whalen of Minnesota and Cynthia Cooper-Dyke of Texas Southern).
• Junior transfer Jordyn Oliver will miss the 2021-22 season, after suffering an achilles injury over the summer.
• Follow @DukeWBB and @KaraLawson20 on Twitter to get the latest updates on Duke women’s basketball. Also, “Like” Duke Women’s Basketball on Facebook to get the latest videos, pictures and more. DWB is on Instagram at dukewbb, while Kara Lawson is at KaraLawson.
Hey, I Know You…
Duke current assistant coach Tia Jackson was an assistant coach at Miami over the previous five seasons, before moving to Duke.
She helped the Hurricanes to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances and 109 wins.
Jackson helped the Hurricanes to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons. This included four straight 20-plus win seasons along with two WNBA Draft selections. The Hurricanes advanced to the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament on their home court twice (2017 and 2019).
Duke graduate student Amaya Finklea-Guity will go up against her former Syracuse teammate, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, who is also a graduate student at Miami. The two played together for four seasons at Syracuse.
Blue Devils to Face Alum…
Duke will battle former Blue Devil All-American Katie Meier for the 19th time as a head coach on Sunday. Meier, who is in her 17th year as Miami’s head coach, also faced the Blue Devils on Nov. 29, 2001, when she was at the helm of Charlotte, and the last 14 years as the Hurricanes’ coach. In the contest versus Charlotte, Duke won 64-39 in Charlotte, N.C.
The Blue Devils own a 14-4 overall record against Meier on the opposing sideline.
Meier, who ranks seventh on Duke’s all-time scoring list with 1,761 points, was inducted into the Hall of Honor in 2002. She was the 1986 ACC Rookie of the Year and a Basketball Yearbook Freshman All-America. She was a letterwinner in 1986, ’87, ’89 and ’90 for the Blue Devils.
Goodchild Taking Advantage of Time…
Over the last six games, senior Miela Goodchild has seen her minutes go up as she has played 22 or more minutes in each of those contests, including a season-high 36 minutes in two out of the last three games. She has averaged 10.5 points,6.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.8 steals during that stretch. Goodchild has hit 16-of-32 treys in those games.
Goodchild hit only 6-of-21 treys over the first nine games of the season.
She was inserted into the starting lineup four games ago and has averaged 12.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals. Goodchild has hit 18-of-35 field goals and 13-of-23 treys in those contests.
Goodchild recently collected her first collegiate double-double against Virginia Tech with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Akinbode-James Nets Career High…
Senior Onome Akinbode-James collected a career-high 16 points on the road at Syracuse in only 18 minutes of action. She hit 5-of-9 field goals, 6-of-6 free throws, grabbed six boards, had two blocks and one steal.
Since being inserted into the starting lineup five games ago, Akinbode-James has averaged 7.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks a game. She has hit 50.0 percent from the field as well.
Day-Wilson Moving Close in Freshman Charts…
Duke rookie Shayeann Day-Wilson is close to moving into the top-10 charts for Blue Devil freshman three-pointers made and attempted for a season.
Day-Wilson has hit 29 treys and will move into a tie for 10th with her next make, while she has attempted 72 treys and needs four attempts to move into a tie for 10th
Three-Pointers Made (Season-Freshmen)
1. 73 Miela Goodchild, 2018-19~
2. 72 Rebecca Greenwell, 2014-15
3. 50 Abby Waner, 2005-06
4. 41 Wanisha Smith, 2004-05
41 Jenni Kraft, 1988-89~
6. 37 Georgia Schweitzer, 1997-98
7. 36 Dana McDonald, 1989-90
8. 33 Laura Kurz, 2004-05
33 Chelsea Gray, 2010-11
10. 30 Jessica Foley, 2002-03
11. 29 Shayeann Day-Wilson, 2021-22
Three-Pointers Attempted (Season-Freshmen)
1. 202 Rebecca Greenwell, 2014-15
2. 164 Miela Goodchild, 2018-19
3. 131 Abby Waner, 2005-06
4. 104 Georgia Schweitzer, 1997-98
5. 100 Wanisha Smith, 2004-05
6. 98 Dana McDonald, 1989-90
7. 97 Jasmine Thomas, 2007-08
8. 86 Jessica Foley, 2002-03
9. 83 Chelsea Gray, 2010-11
10. 76 Jenny Kraft, 1988-89
76 Alexis Jones, 2012-13
12. 72 Shayeann Day-Wilson, 2021-22
