Duke holds off Louisville in OT for ACC women’s championship

DULUTH, GA — The No. 1 Duke Blue Devils are back-to-back ACC Tournament champions after beating No. 2 Louisville 70-65 in overtime Sunday, March 8 at the Gas South Arena.

It’s the first time since 2010-11 that Duke has won back-to-back ACC Tournament titles. The program is now tied with Maryland for the most conference titles all time, with 10.

‘This game was an emotional roller-coaster,’ Duke coach Kara Lawson said. ‘We never say die. We just always believed.

‘I’m just really proud of this group.’

It was Delaney Thomas who got the scoring going in overtime with back-to-back baskets for the Blue Devils, and Riley Nelson, who shut the door on Louisville’s title hopes with 4.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Nelson sank a gigantic 3-pointer to put Duke up five points, making the lead insurmountable for Louisville.

‘Riley!’ fans chanted from the stands after the game ended.

Duke had four scorers in double figures, including Thomas and senior guard Taina Mair, who both had 19 points. Mair was named the ACC Tournament MVP.

‘This team, we earned this one today,’ Mair said when presented with the award.

Although Louisville shot better from the floor at 42%, it ran out of steam in overtime, shooting 22% in the period. Imary Berry led the Cardinals with 18 points off the bench. Mackenly Randolph added 17 points, including the basket that sent the game to overtime.

‘I’ve got to just tip my hat,’ Louisville coach Jeff Walz said postgame. ‘You’ve got to give respect to what Delaney Thomas did. She won the game for ’em. I told Kara [Lawson] ― I told her after the game, no question, MVP of that game.’

‘The urgency you have to play with, it’s pretty elite … because you’re going to play everybody good, and if you don’t come prepared to play with a mentality to compete and play hard, it’s not fun. And that’s what took place today.’

Fourth quarter: Duke 60, Louisville 60

With fans living and breathing on every shot, Duke and Louisville traded baskets through the final sixminutes of the fourth quarter. It was tied 51 all at the 6:28 mark, and from there, it was anybody who wanted to get a shot until Riley Nelson hit a huge 3-pointer with under a minute to play that had Louisville on the ropes. Louisville answered as it could with a Mackenly Randlolph basket and a free throw by Imari Berry.

Duke and Louisville trading shots with ACC Championship on line

If you like back-and-forth baskets, this is the game for you. The Duke Blue Devils and Louisville Cardinals are living up to expectations of a championship game. At the 7:02 mark of the fourth quarter, Taina Mair hit a massive 3-pointer to tie the game, 51 all.

Duke’s back-to-back championships are currntly on the line, and for Louisville, a win would be the program’s first title since 2018.

Third quarter: Louisville 49, Duke 46

With an ACC championship on the line, it’s an all-out battle in the third. Louisville won it 17-16, but not without a huge 6-0 run as the quarter ran down from Duke to close the gap. Still, it was Imari Berry with a timely three that put just enough seperation between the two teams. The margins are slim, but Louisville’s 17 bench points are the difference right now.Imari Berry lead all scorers with 15 points, including three triples.

Duke’s leading scorer in foul trouble

Duke leading scorer Toby Fournier is having a rough day against the Cardinals. She picked up her third foul of the game at the 6:01 mark in the third. Fournier also has been held to just five points, when she averages over 17 a game.

Halftime: Louisville 32, Duke 30

Duke owned the second quarter 16-11, but Louisville holds the halftime lead after an Imari Berry buzzer-beater. As the teams battle, Louisville has the edge. The Cardinals are shooting 48% to Duke’s 42% and have withstood the Blue Devils shooting 56% from deep.

Louisville has also forced 11 first-half turnovers and scored 11 points from the giveaways. Duke doesn’t have any points from its bench at the halfway mark, and star Toby Fournier has 3 points.

Taina Mair leads all scorers with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals.

Former NBA All-Star cheering for Louisville at ACC championship

Former two-time NBA All-Star Zach Randolph is cheering for his daughter, Mackenly, and the Louisville Cardinals at Sunday’s championship.

Duke opens the second quarter with a 7-0

Here comes the Duke Blue Devils. Duke strung together several stops and put together some quick offense, punctuated by a Taina Mair 3-pointer, to tie the game at the 7:10 mark of the second quarter. It’s currently 21 all, after a 7-0 run by Duke, making it ten unanswered points dating back to the first.

First quarter: Louisville 21, Duke 14

It’s been all Louisville in the first quarter as five players have scored. The Cardinals are winning the battle on the glass 10-4 and have forced six Blue Devils turnovers. Louisville has also held Duke to 36% shooting while maintaining a 60% shooting percentage from the field.

Credit to Louisville for mixing up its defensive coverages, keeping Duke off balance. The Blue Devils did show some fight towards the end of the quarter. Ashlon Jackson nailed a triple before the buzzer to cut the lead to seven. Jackson and Louisville’s Imari Berry and Taj Roberts all have five points.

Louisville takes early lead over Duke

At the 6:50 mark of the first quarter, the teams were tied at 4, but then Louisville went on a mini-run which led to a timeout at the 4:51 mark. The Cardinals are up 9-6 after Taj Roberts’ triple powered the Cardinals first push of the game.

Louisville coach shares what Cardinals need to do to beat Duke

Louisville head coach Jeff Walz shared what the Cardinals have to do to defeat Duke and win their first ACC championship since 2018. For context, Louisville lost to Duke in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals last season and again on Feb 5 this year during a home matchup.

‘We’re going to have to rebound the ball. That’s one thing that Duke does extremely well,’ Walz said. ‘And then we’re gonna have to score. That’s one of the things we struggled with at our place, starting off … and we did at home, but we just didn’t finish it out.’

Duke and Louisville are ready to go

Both Duke and Louisville are making their way to Gas South Arena.

Duke and Louisville starting lineups

These are the starting lineups for Duke and Louisville women’s basketball.

Duke Blue Devils starting lineup

Head coach: Kara Lawson

Louisville Cardinals starting lineup

Head coach: Jeff Walz

Duke Blue Devils and Louisville Cardinals rosters

Here are the rosters for Duke women’s basketball and Louisville.

Duke Blue Devils Roster

Louisville Cardinals roster

What time is Louisville vs. Duke?

Date: Sunday, March 8
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: Gas South Arena (Duluth, Georgia)

The Louisville Cardinals play the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament championship game at 1:00 p.m. ET Sunday, March 8, at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.

Louisville vs. Duke: TV, streaming

TV: ESPN
Stream: Sling TV

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