Duke’s first road test of the season comes Sunday at Florida Atlantic, with the Blue Devils carrying a 1-0 start into a matchup that also marks the first meeting between the two programs.
The Blue Devils opened the year with a 76-60 win over Green Bay, and the box score told the story of a team that found its rhythm after halftime. Duke led by only two at the break, then turned the game with a 43-29 second-half edge. Four players finished in double figures, and eight different Blue Devils scored at least three points.
Riley Nelson and Arianna each scored 15 points, while Aaliyah Crump added 11 and Delaney Thomas finished with 10. Duke’s balance went beyond the top scorers, too, with all nine players who saw the floor grabbing at least three rebounds.
That opener fit a familiar pattern for Kara Lawson’s team. Duke is now 6-1 in season openers under Lawson, with the only loss coming against No.
16 Baylor in Paris, France last season. The Blue Devils have also now won 28 straight home openers.
Against Green Bay, Duke had to work through a shaky first half before taking control. The Blue Devils trailed by as many as six and were down 31-33 at the half, but closed the period on a 14-6 run. From there, the third quarter belonged to Duke, which held the Phoenix to 18 percent shooting and built a 60-49 lead after three.
The defensive pressure carried into the final 20 minutes. Green Bay shot just 22 percent in the second half after connecting at a 42 percent clip in the opening two quarters. Duke also cleaned up its own mistakes, cutting turnovers from 12 in the first half to five in the second.
Nelson was the steady force throughout. In the first half, she led the offense with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting and went 4-for-4 at the line.
She finished with 15 points on 4-of-10 shooting and was perfect on six free throws, a career high. The outing marked the 24th double-digit scoring game of her career, and her six made free throws put her among 141 Division I players with a 1.000 free throw percentage.
Freshman Autumn Fleary also made a strong second-half impact. After going 0-for-2 with four turnovers in the first half, she bounced back with nine points, two rebounds, two assists and no turnovers after the break.
Nelson’s start to this season follows a strong finish to last year. After first seeing action for Duke against Baylor in Paris, when it had been 659 days since her previous game, she settled into the rotation during ACC play and averaged 9.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. She then raised that production in the ACC Tournament, averaging 9.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game to earn a place on the ACC All-Tournament First Team.
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