Duke women bash Baylor, will face LSU in NCAA Women’s Tournament’s Sweet 16
Duke didn’t view its second-round NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament game as a rematch, despite having fallen to Baylor in its season opener. In March, the teams look nothing like they did on Nov. 3 because of personnel, chemistry and experience.
In fact, Duke was almost unrecognizable Sunday compared to the team that took the floor in Paris for the teams’ first game of the year — which was a good thing for the Blue Devils, who picked up a 69-46 win over the Bears to advance to the program’s third consecutive Sweet 16 behind a stifling defensive performance.
Third-seeded Duke will battle No. 2 LSU on Friday in Sacramento. The Tigers, who are coming off a 101-47 blowout over Texas Tech, defeated the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor in December, prior to Duke’s 17-game win streak and season turnaround.
“I know how much we’ve improved throughout the year, all the things we’ve worked on, all the hard practices and all the hard times, especially after games at the beginning of the year,” Duke All-American forward Toby Fournier said. “It was really difficult, but we were able to figure it out and figure out what we do well and how we’re able to work as a team. This game really helped prove the progress that we’ve had and all the things that we went through, it was worth it in the end.”
Blue Devils head coach Kara Lawson said before Sunday’s game that in order for her team to find success, it has to achieve certain benchmarks of success in multiple areas, including rebounding, defending without fouling, winning hustle plays, moving the ball, making smart passes, and communicating.
Duke accomplished those primary goals from the opening tip Sunday, holding Baylor to 30.2% from the field overall, and a stunning 0% from 3-point range (0-for-14).
Duke’s dominant defensive display helped it overcome a relatively inefficient day on offense. The Blue Devils shot just 39% from the field and 18.2% from 3, though four players still finished in double figures. Delaney Thomas led the way for Duke with 17 points, and freshman Arianna Roberson’s fourth double-double of the season — 10 points and 10 boards — added to the cause. Ashlon Jackson, who played four years at Duke, finished with 12 points and four assists in her final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Senior guard Taina Mair had eight assists and four steals.
“Whenever I first made the decision to come here, most people thought I was crazy, because what is Duke known for? Men’s basketball teams and our academics,” Jackson said. “I went out on my faith. I had faith in what my coach and what my institution could accomplish. To see over the past four years how that turned out, not bad. I’m just really grateful to be in the position that I am in.”
Duke opened the game on a 9-0 run and forced 11 straight scoreless possessions. The Bears committed nine turnovers in the opening period and only scored eight points. Mair finished the period with five stops on her own and a 9.3 defensive rating, which measures points per 100 possessions.
The Blue Devils maintained their stalwart defense, picking up another seven straight stops in the period.
Baylor went to the locker room at halftime with only 16 points, one of its lowest first-half scoring performances of the season, and the second time this month the Bears failed to reach 20 points in the first half. Duke had held an opponent this season to fewer points in the opening half, allowing just 10 to Wake Forest on Feb. 1.
“Last game, I felt like I didn’t play my best defensively. I had to make sure to make a point to my teammates and to my coaches that I play hard for them, and that’s exactly what I did,” Mair said. “For this team, I think when we come out, we play like that, it seems like we’re pretty untouchable.
Duke kept its foot on the gas in the second half, even without Fournier. The sophomore played limited minutes after picking up three fouls in the third quarter, including a pair in the first 2 1/2 minutes. Despite her absence, the Blue Devils not only maintained their lead but extended it from 17 points to 25.
Fournier fouled out with 1:43 remaining. She finished with 15 points, three rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.
Mair, Thomas and Roberson all contributed at least six stops.
“I really couldn’t be more proud of them,” Fournier said. “They mean the world to me. They shine every game, but, on a big stage during March Madness, being able to have the opportunity to shine shows that no matter what, my teammates have my back.”
Following the win, Lawson called the game one of Duke’s better defensive efforts.
She said her team brought physicality, attention to detail and “appropriate level of force” to start the game.
Additionally, Duke knew rebounding would be a major key to winning. In all eight of its losses this season, the Blue Devils’ opponents finished with a positive margin in the metric. Baylor finished plus-11 on the boards in the season opener.
The two programs were tied at 11 rebounds apiece after the first quarter, but Duke broke away as the game progressed. The Blue Devils outrebounded the Bears, 43-36, with 18 offensive rebounds from six different players.
“Coach Kara has definitely told us that would be a reason why we win the game, or why we lose the game,” Mair said before the game. “It’s gonna be super important for us to crash the boards, both offensively and defensively. I think that’s gonna be on our minds.”
There were times when the Blue Devils’ need for speed got the better of them, committing 16 turnovers, but their pressure on the other end made up for the miscues. They forced 23 Bears turnovers and only allowed Baylor to score eight points from Duke’s errors.
“That type of performance,” Lawson said. “The first half, two single digit quarters for [Baylor] to start the game put us in a commanding position, and then we kind of handled that mini run they had to start the third and were able to keep them at bay.“
This story was originally published March 22, 2026 at 6:33 PM.
