In their first game of the postseason, the Duke Blue Devils secured a 60-46 win over the Clemson Tigers to advance to the semifinals of the 2026 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament.
By halftime, head coach Kara Lawson's squad had already built a 19-point lead over the Tigers, but Duke struggled mightily during the third quarter, adding a minimal eight points (yes, 8) to its total.
Despite the disastrous performance coming out of halftime, the Blue Devils were able to hold onto a lead and defeat Clemson by 14 points to move on to the next round. The biggest flaw? Duke's shooting.
Duke's poor shooting almost spelled disaster
The Blue Devils shot just 39 percent from the field, missing 38 field goal attempts, and only 29 percent from beyond the arc, making just five three-pointers in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal.
Additionally, Duke gave up 12 turnovers, struggling to maintain possession on the offensive end of the court. Not to mention the fact that the Tigers out-rebounded the Blue Devils 37 to 35.
Unsurprisingly, Duke star Toby Fournier led the team in scoring and rebounding, with 17 points and 10 boards, securing her first double-double of the postseason. Freshman forward Delaney Thomas added 14 points of her own, and senior guard Taina Mair was the only other Blue Devil in double-digit scoring, with 11 points.
Semifinals -> Here Comes Duke 😈 pic.twitter.com/UNGUAYZZl6
— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) March 6, 2026
With the win, Duke improved to 22-8 overall and 16-2 against ACC opponents. Heading into the conference tournament, the Blue Devils were ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25 Poll.
In the semifinals, the top-seeded Duke team will face the winner of No. 4 NC State versus No. 5 Notre Dame, who tipped off after the Blue Devils' win on Friday.