Duke basketball: Lady Blue Devils pick up first win at NC State since 2013

The Duke basketball team took down No. 8 NC State on Monday night in the first win the Lady Blue Devils secured in Raleigh since 2013.

Revenge is best served with a side order of buckets.

A week after the then No. 6 Duke Men’s Basketball team got it doors blown off against the North Carolina State Wolfpack, the women’s basketball team went to Raleigh and took down the No. 8 Wolfpack on Monday night.

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The Duke victory was the first win on the road against NC State since 2013 and it was the first road win over a Top-10 team since February 2, 2015, against No. 8 Louisville.

Haley Gorecki led the Blue Devils in its 70-65 victory with 24 points, four rebounds, and five assists on 8-of-18 shooting yet struggling from 3-point range, only going 1-of-7. The senior posted 13 points in the final quarter in the victory in playing all 40 minutes.

Duke never let NC State win a quarter, as the two teams tied in the first and the fourth while the Blue Devils outscored the Wolfpack by one in the second and four in the third.

Onome Akinbode-James went for 12 points and six rebounds while Kyra Lambert added 11 points and five rebounds on 2-of-3 shooting from 3-point range.

Leaonna Odom also had a major impact on the outcome with ten points and seven rebounds.

Duke was able to hold NC State, one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the ACC, to just 6-of-24 on Monday night and the Lady Blue Devils forced 16 turnovers on the evening.

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Monday’s win was a major accomplishment for Duke in so many ways as the Blue Devils were trending towards the NCAA Tournament but this victory only solidifies its place in the Big Dance, one year removed from not making any postseason tournament.

It was also the first of a three-game road trip to close the season with games against Virginia Tech and North Carolina still looming before the ACC Tournament.

Duke sits at 17-10 on the season and 11-5 in ACC play, winners of six straight and eight of its last nine, with a three-point home loss to NC State the lone defeat.

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The Lady Blue Devils are now third in the conference and while tracking down Louisville is unrealistic at this point, three back with two to go, Duke has a chance at sliding up to the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, trailing the Wolfpack by just a game.

Duke faces Virginia Tech at 7:00pm EST on Thursday, February 27 in Blacksburg and the game can be seen on the ACC Network.