‘D’ is for defense — and Duke: Blue Devils upset Notre Dame to reach ACC Tournament final
For the first time since 2013, two Triangle teams will square off in the ACC Women’s Tournament final.
Third-seeded Duke made sure of that Saturday afternoon with a defense-heavy 61-56 upset win over No. 2 seed Notre Dame in Greensboro.
Duke advances to its first title game appearance since 2017, where the Blue Devils will face top-seeded rival N.C. State for the championship at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Wolfpack seeks its first championship since 2022, while the Devils haven’t won in 12 years.
“It’s incredible to see how much this program has grown,” said Duke’s Jadyn Donovan, ACC All-Defensive selection. “That’s why I committed here, just seeing the growth that it had in the little time that Coach Kara (Lawson) has been here. It’s definitely exciting to be able to play in the championship.”
In their previous meeting this season, Duke lost to Notre Dame 64-49 in South Bend, and it was clear early in Saturday’s game the Blue Devils had learned from that experience.
“There’s nothing that we’re going to do tomorrow that we haven’t already practiced and prepared for,” Oluchi Okananwa said before the game. “I think what I’m feeling is intensity. I’m feeling a competitive spirit. No matter who’s in front of me this postseason, I just want us to go out there and compete.”
Duke’s defense provided Notre Dame one of its biggest tests of the season. The Irish average 86.1 points per game and only had five games determined by single digits. The Blue Devils were determined to add a sixth game to that list.
Notre Dame was held to 31 in the first half, putting the Irish on pace to finish more than 20 points under their average. In the first 15 minutes of the second half, Duke gave up just five field goals. Notre Dame’s 54 points were the fewest it has scored this season. Its previous scoring low took place against Duke on Feb. 17.
The Blue Devils’ third-quarter defense was especially dominant, forcing six Notre Dame turnovers and allowing just three baskets, while holding the Irish scoreless for nearly five minutes. They shut down passing lanes and forced Notre Dame to take tough shots.
ACC Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo scored 14 points in the first two quarters for Notre Dame; Duke gave up 11 points to Hidalgo after the break.
“We want to do is win and whatever it takes,” said Duke’s Vanessa De Jesus. “Defense, loose balls, things that people don’t really care about as much are not the really shiny things. We just want to do that, all that, because we know that end of the day, defense wins championships. That saying is, I think, very true.”
Notre Dame found early success thanks to its own defense, forcing 11 first-half turnovers and allowing 11 field goals. The Irish turned those turnovers, eight of which were steals, into 17 points. The Irish average 11 steals per game, leading the ACC and ranking No. 22 in the nation.
Duke was pleased with its performance against Louisville on Friday, where it scored 13 fast-break points and held the Cardinals scoreless in transition. It didn’t have that same success against Notre Dame in the first.
The Blue Devils gave up nine fast-break points, primarily from its turnovers. Duke clamped down defensively and made cleaner passes from that point forward. They limited the Irish to three additional transition points.
Duke finished with 21 turnovers, which Notre Dame turned into 27 points. However, the Blue Devils out-rebounded the Irish 38-26 and liefted themselves into the final. After getting picked off by Notre Dame, Duke picked up eight steals of its own.
“I thought our team stayed really disciplined defensively,” Lawson said. “I thought we executed what we were trying to do: keep them out of transition as much as we could and limit their opportunities on the glass. They beat us pretty big on the glass in the first meeting, and so we were able to kind of turn that into a double-digit plus for us.”
Nine different Duke players scored, and the team finished with 15 assists on 21 baskets.
Delaney Thomas and Oluchi Okananwa stepped up, as well. Okananwa scored 14 points to lead the team. She was perfect in every area of shooting: 3 for 3 from the field, 2 for 2 from 3-point range and 4 for 4 at the free-throw line. Thomas contributed eight points, also perfect from the field and the stripe. They each pulled down seven boards.
De Jesus kept Duke in the game during the first half, scoring a pair of 3s early as Notre Dame was trying to establish an early advantage. Her first cut Notre Dame’s lead to one point at the end of one. She added another triple that tied the game 20-20. De Jesus missed the entire 2023-24 season with an injury.
“I’ve put in the work since the first day of rehab,” De Jesus said. “To finally see the moment of it paying off, at the time that we really needed it, it means so much to me. I’m just happy I could show up for my team.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 4:49 PM.
