Duke’s Oluchi Okananwa and Jadyn Donovan walk off the court following the Blue Devils’ 54-50 loss to South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight at Legacy Arena on Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
A trip to the Final Four for the first time in 19 years was within Duke’s grasp.
The Blue Devils led by six with 14 seconds remaining in the third quarter, but squandered the two-possession lead in the fourth against reigning national champion South Carolina.
Even in the game’s final seconds, Duke had possession, down two, with the shot clock off. But the Blue Devils turned the ball over, allowing the Gamecocks to escape with a 54-50 win Sunday at Legacy Arena.
Duke’s offense struggled against the Gamecocks (34-3), who made everything difficult. USC’s pressure forced nine Duke turnovers and held the team to 25.8% first-half shooting. It was tougher in the fourth, with the Blue Devils shooting just 4 for 16, including 0-of-4 from 3, while committing four turnovers. They were out-scored 16-8 in the final quarter.
“I thought our team played hard. We defended at a high level, at a level well enough to advance.,” Duke head coach Kara Lawson said. “Our offense was not at a level high enough to advance and certainly late it wasn’t. That I think was the difference in the game.”
Duke’s Toby Fournier shoots over South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards during the first half of the Blue Devils’ NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchup at Legacy Arena on Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Toby Fournier led Duke’s offensive effort, scoring a game-high 12 points in the first half and pulling down three offensive rebounds. Fournier and Ashlon Jackson combined for 19 of Duke’s 22 first-half points.
The Blue Devils’ offense finally found the basket, scoring three times out of the break to give Duke its first lead since the opening possession. It outscored the Gamecocks, 20-12, in the third.
Duke (29-8) struggled once again to start the fourth, allowing USC to start on an 8-0 run. Fournier made a layup with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the game to tie the game at 46.
The Blue Devils finished the game shooting 31.7% from the field and 29.4% from 3 while committing 19 turnovers. They recorded just as many turnovers as field goals in the loss.
Duke’s Taina Mair comforts teammate Toby Fournier following the Blue Devils’ 54-50 loss to South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight at Legacy Arena on Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Fournier finished with a game-high 18 points. Jackson added 13 and tied the Duke single-season record for made 3s (87).
“The quality of the looks we got we were pleased with,” Lawson said. “Obviously we would have loved to have made of them, 5 for 17 from 3, 7 for 13 from the free-throw line. You’re just going to have to make a little bit more than that. … That has a tinge of disappointment. I think our offense is a lot better than we’ve played here in Birmingham. It wasn’t good against North Carolina, and it wasn’t good against South Carolina. I think we are a better offensive team than we showed but welcome to basketball. Sometimes the ball doesn’t go in from great looks from the players that you want taking those shots that you want.”
Duke’s Oluchi Okananwa and South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts battle for a rebound during the first half of the Blue Devils’ NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchup at Legacy Arena on Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Duke’s defense and overall hustle took center stage from the jump and kept the team competitive for the entire afternoon, guiding the Blue Devils back from an 11-point deficit to a second-half lead. They held the Gamecocks to their lowest offensive output of the season.
“South Carolina is a tremendous, tremendous team on both ends of the floor,” said Reigan Richardson. “Our main goal was to stop them in transition. They’re a tremendous team, just getting out and running. Ultimately, we did a little bit of that today. We did the best we could on the defensive end, but we’re happy for South Carolina.”
The Blue Devils held USC to nine fast break points.
Duke forced four early turnovers, including three travels, and prevented the Gamecocks from taking a shot at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Duke disrupted everything South Carolina tried to do on the offensive end. The Blue Devils forced four turnovers in the final six minutes of the half without allowing a field goal. They finished on an 8-1 run.
Duke then held South Carolina to 12 points in the third. At the end of three periods, no Gamecock player had reached double figures. Sania Feagin and Chloe Kitts finished with 12 and 14 points, respectively.
Duke’s Oluchi Okananwa and South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts battle for a rebound during the first half of the Blue Devils’ NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchup at Legacy Arena on Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
Additionally, the Blue Devils outworked the Gamecocks off the backboard. They pulled down 41 rebounds to South Carolina’s 30.
Duke successfully executed its first-half defensive plan without Jadyn Donovan, who was called for two fouls and only played 59 seconds in the first half.
Donovan is the Blue Devils’ best defender. She entered the game allowing just one field goal during the NCAA Tournament when she’s the primary defender. Donovan leads the team in rebounds (232), defensive rebounds (153), blocks (47) and is No. 4 in steals (49).
Duke entered the game giving up an average of 56.6 points per game on the season, which ranks No. 25 in the nation. It has improved that number in the NCAA Tournament, allowing 38.7 points through its first three games to pace the field — the third-lowest in tournament history. None of its opponents scored more than 60 points, and two were held under 40 points.
Duke’s Reigan Richardson drives past South Carolina’s Sania Feagin during the first half of the Blue Devils’ NCAA Tournament Elite Eight matchup at Legacy Arena on Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Birmingham, Ala. Kaitlin McKeown The News & Observer
This was the second meeting of the season between Duke and South Carolina, and was far different than the first, which took place in December as part of the ACC-SEC Challenge. Duke fell in that one, 81-70, at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.
“I’m just really proud of how this group has grown over the course of the season, over the course of the years that I’ve been here,” Richardson said. “I’m just really proud of how we competed today. We there were a lot of ups and downs. We continued to stay together, stay connected with one another.”
This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 3:29 PM.
