Ashlon Jackson and Oluchi Okananwa each scored 22 points as No. 11 Duke rallied to win its first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title since 2013, defeating No. 7 North Carolina State 76-62 on Sunday in Greensboro, N.C.
The Blue Devils overcame a 14-point second-quarter deficit, earning their first ACC tournament title under fifth-year coach Kara Lawson. Duke shot 45.2 percent from the field, including 47.1 percent from 3-point range.
Reigan Richardson added nine points for third-seeded Duke (26-7), which avenged regular-season losses to Louisville and regular-season co-champion Notre Dame in the tournament to reach the final. Taking down NC State marked the Blue Devils’ third victory in three days against a team they lost to in the regular season.
“We knew we could do what we did today,” Okananwa said. “We knew if we played together and we stayed connected, we could get the job done.”
“We’re getting ready for March Madness to start,” Jackson added. “ACC champs!”
Aziaha James poured in 18 points, Zoe Brooks had 17 and Saniya Rivers posted 16 for top-seeded NC State (26-6), which shot 39 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from beyond the arc.
“It sucks when you work that hard and it doesn’t result in a win,” Rivers stated. “But it’s not over for us. We still have a long season ahead of us in our mind.”
Duke finished with a 33-4 advantage in bench scoring. Okananwa pulled in 10 rebounds as part of the Blue Devils’ 44-28 edge on the boards, including their 14 offensive rebounds.
“They’re a great defensive team,” said NC State coach Wes Moore. “They’re a great rebounding team. Those things are what wins championships.”
Moore reflected on the loss:
“I hope we can learn from it. We were in this same position a year ago (losing in the ACC final), and it stinks. But we’ve got to try to hope it’s a wake-up call and we can bounce back and start a new season with the NCAA (Tournament).”
Duke scored 27 of the first 37 points of the second half to go up 56-46 on Okananwa’s 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter. A 7-0 spurt stretched the lead to 65-53 with five minutes remaining. That’s as close as NC State would get the rest of the way.
NC State had a strong first quarter for the second straight day, rolling up a 19-10 lead. That expanded to 24-10 before the Blue Devils recovered and closed within 36-29 by halftime.
By the break, Brooks had 13 points and James notched 11, while Duke’s Jackson and Okananwa each had 10 first-half points. James left with an injury and was carried off the court with 43.3 seconds left in the first half but returned for the start of the second half.
Both teams are expected to be selected as NCAA Tournament hosts for the first and second rounds when the brackets are revealed next Sunday.
–Field Level Media
