Duke’s relentless defense and strong bench play propelled the second-seeded Blue Devils to a 47-38 victory over No. 3-seed North Carolina in the Regional Semifinal of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Sophomore Oluchi Okananwa led the way with a double-double, tallying 12 points and 12 rebounds, as Duke secured its 12th Elite Eight appearance and first since 2013.
Feeling ELITE ‼️💃😈 pic.twitter.com/olvbdfnjOJ
— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) March 28, 2025
Slow Start, Strong Response
North Carolina struck first, with Maria Gakdeng converting a put-back 90 seconds into the game. The Tar Heels’ defense smothered Duke early, building a 9-0 lead midway through the first quarter. The Blue Devils remained scoreless until the 4-minute mark when Jordan Wood split a pair of free throws to get Duke on the board. Wood followed with a jumper to ignite a 9-2 Duke run that cut the deficit to 13-9 at the first-quarter break. Defensively, Duke clamped down, holding North Carolina without a field goal for the final 4:19 of the period.
THE BLUE DEVILS ARE HEADED TO THE ELITE EIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TWELVE YEARS 😱 Duke takes down rival UNC in their first-ever tournament matchup 😤 pic.twitter.com/Hg9PJzDl6B
— espnW (@espnW) March 28, 2025
Duke’s Defense Takes Over
The Blue Devils’ defensive pressure continued into the second quarter, as they forced the Tar Heels into five turnovers while scoring eight unanswered points to take a 17-13 lead at the media timeout. North Carolina endured a brutal scoring drought, going 11:35 without a field goal, allowing Duke to extend its lead to 21-13. The teams exchanged baskets to close the half, with Duke heading into the locker room up 28-20. The Blue Devils’ bench was the story, contributing 22 of the team’s 28 first-half points, led by Okananwa (10) and Vanessa de Jesus (8).
Tar Heels Fight Back, But Duke Holds Firm
Duke pushed its lead to double digits to start the third quarter, but North Carolina chipped away, trimming the deficit to 30-25. Reigan Richardson responded with a three-pointer, but the Tar Heels capitalized on a turnover to make it a 33-27 game at the midway point of the quarter. A 5-0 UNC run out of the timeout cut the lead to two, 34-32. However, Ashlon Jackson drilled a key three-pointer, and Duke’s defense held firm, keeping the Blue Devils ahead 37-32 heading into the final frame…