COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS – The eighth-ranked Duke Blue Devils had the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies where they wanted them, but ended up losing their first game of the season 63-59 at Reed Arena on Sunday.
Duke (5-1) held a 15-point lead with 11:36 remaining against a team they had only beaten once in three previous matchups, but suffered another loss to the Aggies (7-0).
Redshirt freshman guard Rebecca Greenwell led the Blue Devils with a career-high 23 points in the losing effort.
Fellow freshman Azurá Stevens added 15 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes – hitting 7-of-12 from the field.
It was the third straight game and fourth time in five games that Stevens finished in double-figures.
Duke had to rely on its younger players who took on A&M for the first time in their careers, and played without three-time All-America Elizabeth Williams who was out with a left foot injury.
It was Williams’ first missed collegiate game in her career so far after appearing in 109 straight games and starting 72 straight.
Greenwell ended up with a double-digit finish for the sixth straight game to open her collegiate career.
She posted 14 points, five rebounds, one block and one steal in the first half, and added another nine points in the second.
Duke held a 15-point lead with 11:36 remaining in the game, but after converting 42 percent from the field in the first half, only hit at a 26-percent rate in the second and eventually allowed A&M to take back control of a game that was tied five different times.
Despite the late lapse, the Blue Devils claimed a 48-37 rebounding advantage, including a 20-11 edge in offensive rebounds while holding A&M to a season-low 63 points and 33 percent shooting.
Duke travels next to Lincoln, Neb. to face the No. 15 Cornhuskers on Wednesday in the two teams’ ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup.