Aaliyah Crump sank a go-ahead 3-pointer shortly before halftime, and No. 4 Duke pulled away for a 76-60 win over Green Bay in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday in Durham, N.C.
A 14-3 surge in the third quarter allowed the Blue Devils to open a 12-point lead, and the margin never dropped below seven points again.
Riley Nelson and reserve Arianna Roberson put up 15 points apiece for Duke, and Roberson blocked four shots. Crump added 11 points, six assists and five rebounds, and Delaney Thomas logged 10 points and seven rebounds.
Maddy Skorupski paced the Phoenix with 16 points, though she shot just 4-for-13 from the floor. Kristina Ouimette contributed 14 points, and Elisa Mevius had eight rebounds and five points while hitting 1 of 11 field-goal attempts.
Duke outshot Green Bay 45.3% to 32.8% overall, though both teams made 7 of 23 (30.4%) from 3-point range.
The Blue Devils are coming off a 27-9 season in which they reached the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight. The Phoenix also were an NCAA team last campaign, falling in the first round to end a 25-9 run that included Horizon League regular-season and tournament titles.
–Field Level Media
