The Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team on Sunday won their second consecutive ACC Tournament championship, defeating the Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team 70-65 in overtime at Gas South Arena.
With the victory, Duke claimed its 10th ACC Tournament title, tying the Maryland Terrapins women's basketball for the most championships ever won in the league tournament. Delaney Thomas forced overtime by finishing a game-tying layup with four seconds left, tying the score at 60-60 after Louisville had controlled the lead for 35 of the game's 40 regulation minutes. Taina Mair then blocked a Cardinals' attempt in the final seconds to send the game to the extra period.
Thomas and Mair led the Blue Devils offensively with 19 points each. Mair scored 12 rebounds to complete a double-double and was named ACC Tournament MVP. Thomas also contributed nine rebounds and three steals. Riley Nelson recorded 12 points and dropped the game-winning three in overtime with under six seconds left, giving Duke a five-point lead and the win.
Four Blue Devils players finished in double figures. Duke out-rebounded Louisville 42-34, grabbing 19-14 on the offensive glass. The Blue Devils also generated 26 free-throw attempts, converting 18, while Louisville attempted just nine and made six.
The Cardinals (27–7) received strong individual performances despite the loss. Imari Berry scored a team-high 18 points off the bench, while Mackenly Randolph had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists while playing all 45 minutes. Louisville shot 41.9% from the field overall but cooled off down the stretch, shooting only 22% in overtime and going 2-of-9 during the extra period.
Under head coach Kara Lawson, Duke's title run brought a thrilling end to a remarkable turnaround. After starting the season 3-6, the Blue Devils won 21 of their final 23 games, including 17 straight at one point, and now await their NCAA Tournament seeding.
