DURHAM, N.C. – Rebecca Greenwell’s two free throws down the stretch allowed the 13th-ranked Duke Blue Devils to hold off No. 21 Syracuse, 74-72, at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Thursday.
Greenwell hit the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season and helped Duke improve to 11-4 (2-0 ACC).
“That was a hard-fought game for us,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said.
“I think it’s a lesson in what turnovers can do and how they can impact a game. Also in rebounding, it’s very difficult to see us being outrebounded. That’s supposed to be our forte. It was not tonight. There were a lot of long rebounds that occurred, and we didn’t adjust to getting to them as quickly as we would have liked.
Duke struggled to contain Syracuse’s three-point shooting, and turnovers plagued the Blue Devils in stretches.
The Orange pulled to within three on a Brianna Butler three-pointer with 3:34 remaining.
Butler added two more and tied It up at 72 with 43 seconds remaining.
Greenwell answered from the free throw line, and after making a strong defensive stand on the game’s final possession, senior Amber Henson controlled a rebound in the waning seconds to secure the two-point victory for Duke.
“I do like the way our team was tough,” McCallie said.
“At times, they made plays down the stretch. Becca (Greenwell) in particular, that rebound that Amber (Henson) pulled at the end, things like that. I think it’s really important for us to have experiences in all sorts of types of games. That’s important to us. But 25 turnovers, especially the points off of the turnovers. Good lessons for us to learn from.”
Duke continues ACC play on the road, traveling to Tallahassee, Fla., to take on No. 22 Florida State (14-2, 1-1) on Sunday.