Okananwa, gritty defense power No. 2 Duke to lopsided win over No. 15 Lehigh, 86-25
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Oluchi Okananwa scored 15 points as second-seeded Duke's defense powered it to a lopsided 86-25 victory over 15th-seeded Lehigh on Friday night in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament.
The number of points scored by the Mountain Hawks are the second-fewest in the history of the tournament.
Okananwa, the MVP of the ACC Tournament, also had seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in 20 minutes off the bench for the Blue Devils (27-7). Delaney Thomas and Toby Fournier each added 11 points.
Ella Stemmer led Lehigh (27-7) with eight points.
The Blue Devils' skill and tenacity on the defensive end was apparent throughout the game but shined in the second quarter. They outscored the Mountain Hawks 20-2 to take a comfortable 23-point halftime lead. Lehigh shot 1 of 12 from the floor in that frame and turned the ball over 10 times.
In all, Lehigh had 30 turnovers and shot a season-low 19.6% from the floor.
TakeawaysDuke: The Blue Devils have been one of the best defensive teams in the country all season long and leaned on that strength. Duke is now 17-1 this season when forcing 20 or more turnovers.
Lehigh: The Mountain Hawks were beaten in every facet of the game by the Blue Devils. Lehigh entered this game as the nation's best free throw shooting team — making 81.1% of their attempts — but they weren't granted a friendly whistle and shot just 5 of 6 from the foul line.
Fun MomentDuke's Louann Battiston, a 5-foot-5 sophomore guard from Belgium, made the first two 3-pointers of her career in the fourth quarter. Entering this game, she had logged just 51 minutes of playing time in two seasons.
Up NextThe Blue Devils will host No. 10 Oregon, which defeated No. 7 Vanderbilt in overtime, on Sunday.
____
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Topics
-
Duke basketball routs Lehigh in first round of Women's March Madness. Here's how.
The Duke women's basketball team is moving on in March Madness, recording a dominant win Friday over Lehigh at Cameron Indoor Stadium.Yahoo Sports - 7h -
No. 11 Duke women top Louisville 61-48, will face No. 6 Notre Dame in ACC Tournament semifinal
Oluchi Okananwa came off the bench to score 13 points and No. 11 Duke cruised to a 61-48 victory over Louisville in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament at First Horizon ...ABC News - Mar. 8 -
Dunn scores 25, Penn State beats No. 12 Wisconsin 86-75
D’Marco Dunn had 25 points and Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 15 points and 11 rebounds as Penn State rallied in the second half for an 86-75 victory over No. 12 Wisconsin, preventing the Badgers ...ABC News - Mar. 8 -
Duke women’s basketball to face Lehigh to open March Madness in 2025 NCAA Tournament
Duke women's basketball just won its first ACC tournament championship in 12 years, and now the Blue Devils head into March Madness as a No. 2 seed.Yahoo Sports - 5d -
No. 5 seed Tennessee rolls to a 101-66 victory over No. 12 South Florida in women's NCAA Tournament
Talaysia Cooper had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, Samara Spencer scored 15 points and fifth-seeded Tennessee routed 12th-seeded South Florida 101-66 on Friday night in a women’s NCAA ...Yahoo Sports - 8h -
Harden, Leonard each score 25 points as Clippers ride lopsided 3rd quarter to 121-97 win over Hawks
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard each scored 25 points, with Harden scoring 13 in a dominant third quarter for Los Angeles, and the Clippers beat the Atlanta Hawks 121-98 on Friday night. Leonard ...Yahoo Sports - Mar. 15 -
Chaz Lanier and No. 2 seed Tennessee breeze past No. 15 seed Wofford 77-62 in March Madness
Chaz Lanier scored 29 points on 11-of-22 shooting and No. 2 seed Tennessee never trailed in a 77-62 victory over Wofford on Thursday night that sent the Volunteers to the second round of the NCAA ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Edwards leads No. 1 seed South Carolina to 108-48 win over Tennessee Tech to start March Madness
Freshman Joyce Edwards scored 22 points in her first women's NCAA Tournament game as No. 1 seed South Carolina powered to a 108-48 victory over Tennessee Tech on FridayABC News - 10h -
Riley scores 22 as No. 6 seed Illinois defeats Xavier 86-73 in NCAA Tournament
Will Riley had 22 points, Kasparas Jakucionis finished one rebound shy of a triple-double and Illinois was perfect from the foul line in an 86-73 NCAA Tournament victory over Xavier on Friday ...Yahoo Sports - 6h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
MLB season preview 2025: Every American League team's keys to victory
Major League Baseball's 2025 season gets underway with a full opening day on Thursday, March 27.Yahoo Sports - 19m -
Here's how you can watch Saturday's MSU-Ohio State Big Ten Tournament title hockey game
Michigan State hockey battles Ohio State on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament championship game - here's how you can watch this matchupYahoo Sports - 20m -
Start time, TV channel announced for Alabama vs. Saint Mary's NCAA Tournament game
Alabama will meet Saint Mary's in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Here's what channel you'll need to watch the Crimson Tide.Yahoo Sports - 20m -
March Madness games and scores today: Times, TV channel for Day 3 NCAA tournament games
March Madness continues. Here's the Round 3 schedule and scores for Saturday of the NCAA tournament, game by game.Yahoo Sports - 21m -
How to watch Auburn vs Creighton today: Time, TV channel for March Madness
It's Auburn vs. Creighton in round two of March Madness. Here's a look at how you can watch and stream today's game.Yahoo Sports - 21m
More in Sports
-
MLB season preview 2025: Every American League team's keys to victory
Major League Baseball's 2025 season gets underway with a full opening day on Thursday, March 27.Yahoo Sports - 19m -
Here's how you can watch Saturday's MSU-Ohio State Big Ten Tournament title hockey game
Michigan State hockey battles Ohio State on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament championship game - here's how you can watch this matchupYahoo Sports - 20m -
Start time, TV channel announced for Alabama vs. Saint Mary's NCAA Tournament game
Alabama will meet Saint Mary's in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Here's what channel you'll need to watch the Crimson Tide.Yahoo Sports - 20m -
March Madness games and scores today: Times, TV channel for Day 3 NCAA tournament games
March Madness continues. Here's the Round 3 schedule and scores for Saturday of the NCAA tournament, game by game.Yahoo Sports - 21m -
How to watch Auburn vs Creighton today: Time, TV channel for March Madness
It's Auburn vs. Creighton in round two of March Madness. Here's a look at how you can watch and stream today's game.Yahoo Sports - 21m