COLUMBIA — After escaping Chapel Hill with a win, South Carolina women’s basketball will aim for another victory in North Carolina, this time against Duke on Sunday.
The No. 1 Gamecocks (6-0) face the Blue Devils (5-2) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Sunday (1 p.m., ABC) coming off of a 65-58 battle with No. 24 UNC in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Thursday. Duke also avoided an upset in its Challenge game, beating Georgia 72-65 in overtime.
South Carolina is 6-2 all-time against Duke, but its last loss in the series came at Cameron Indoor in 2016. The Gamecocks have won the past three consecutive meetings, including the most recent matchup 55-46 in 2021.
Duke’s roller-coaster start to 2023-24 season
The Blue Devils nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the early season when they forced No. 3 Stanford into overtime on the road before losing by three. Guard Ashlon Jackson had a career game against the Cardinal with 22 points on six 3-pointers plus two steals, but her numbers have been inconsistent. The sophomore also put up 22 points on Coastal Carolina and 18 against Georgia, but she has been held to less than eight points in Duke’s other three games.
The team’s other loss is to Davidson, against whom Jackson had six points, shooting 2-of-7. Four Davidson players scored in double-digits, while the Blue Devils shot a season-worst 38.1% from the field. They also have struggled to dominate lesser opponents, needing overtime to beat Georgia and escaping 4-4 Columbia with a four-point win.
Freshman class has key contributors
Duke’s 2023 recruiting class is one of its best in years, headlined by No. 3 Jadyn Donovan. The five-star forward is joined by No. 27 Oluchi Okananwa, No. 29 Delaney Thomas and No. 62 Jordan Wood, all of whom have seen the floor in the first seven games. Okananwa is already averaging a near double-double at 10.7 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting better than 50% from the field.
Donovan has made five starts in seven appearances, coming off the bench against Columbia and Davidson. She had her best game of the season against Georgia, shooting 6-for-7 for 13 points, and adding three blocks. Thomas has seen increased minutes in the Blue Devils’ past three games, and she scored a career-high 14 points at Stanford.
GAMECOCKS BEAT UNC:Why Bree Hall’s breakout vs North Carolina is crucial for South Carolina women’s basketball
Blue Devils bring well-rounded lineups
Coach Kara Lawson is rotating nine of her 10 players for at least 14 minutes per game, and four of five starters are averaging double-digits in points. Jackson and guard Reigan Richardson each average 13 points, with Okananwa and guard Taina Mair averaging 10 apiece. The lineup shares the wealth on the boards, with three starters averaging four rebounds per game.
Duke’s roster is versatile and fairly balanced considering its key losses to the transfer portal last offseason. Yale transfer Camilla Emsbo and 6-foot-6 center Kennedy Brown give the Blue Devils competitive size against most teams, and their guard depth makes them challenging to defend outside the paint.
Prediction
South Carolina 83, Duke 68: The Gamecocks took some time to settle into their first road game, but the jitters are gone when they get to Durham. The shooters get hot early despite a strong defensive performance from Duke in the paint.
Follow South Carolina football reporter Emily Adams on X @eaadams6 and subscribe to The Greenville News for exclusive Gamecocks content: https://subscribe.greenvilleonline.com/offers.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.