DURHAM, N.C. — Duke waited until the closing minutes to deliver its decisive punch, but once the Blue Devils found their rhythm, they left little doubt.
Behind a dominant performance from sophomore Toby Fournier and a late fourth-quarter surge, Duke pulled away from Virginia for a 65–58 victory Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, keeping its perfect ACC record intact.
Fournier led all scorers with 25 points and nine rebounds, anchoring a Duke team that closed the game on a 20–7 run. The Blue Devils improved to 12–6 overall and 7–0 in conference play, extending their winning streak to nine games. The 7–0 ACC start is Duke’s best under head coach Kara Lawson and the program’s strongest conference opening since the 2012–13 season.
Duke set the tone early behind Fournier, who was nearly unstoppable in the opening quarter. The sophomore forward scored 15 points in the first 10 minutes alone, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the top of the arc that sent Duke into the first break with a 23–14 lead. Her scoring fueled an early 8–0 run that broke a 4–4 tie and forced a Virginia timeout.
Virginia responded with defensive pressure in the second quarter, limiting Duke’s offense and slowly cutting into the margin. The Cavaliers held Duke scoreless for more than three minutes and trimmed the lead to five before Delaney Thomas stopped the bleeding with an old-fashioned three-point play. Taina Mair closed the half with a 3-pointer in the final 30 seconds, giving Duke a 35–24 edge at the break.
The game shifted after halftime. The Blue Devils briefly stretched its lead to 13 when Riley Nelson opened the third quarter with a jumper, but Virginia answered with an 8–2 run and continued to capitalize on Duke turnovers. By the end of the period, the Cavaliers had seized their first lead, 45–44, after a 13–3 run that left Duke with just nine points in the quarter.
Virginia carried that momentum into the fourth, scoring six of the first seven points to build a 51–45 advantage. Duke’s response was swift and decisive. The Blue Devils rattled off an 11–0 run over the next three minutes, reclaiming the lead and energizing the Cameron crowd.
Arianna Roberson sparked the surge with Duke’s first field goal in nearly seven minutes, and Fournier followed by backing down her defender for a layup. Roberson tied the game with a jumper from the top of the key, then Ashlon Jackson delivered the knockout blows. The sophomore guard drained a pull-up 3 in transition out of a timeout and later buried another from the left wing to put Duke firmly in control.
Duke sealed the win at the free-throw line, converting four foul shots in the final 12 seconds.
Jackson finished with 12 points, including two clutch fourth-quarter 3-pointers, and added five assists. Roberson contributed 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks, while Thomas filled the stat sheet with nine points, four steals, and three assists. Mair matched Jackson with six assists as Duke’s backcourt steadied the offense late.
Tabith Amanze led Virginia with 20 points, five rebounds, and four blocks, but the Cavaliers could not keep pace once Duke found its footing down the stretch.
The Blue Devils return to action Sunday, Jan. 18, when they host Georgia Tech at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
