DURHAM, N.C. — Reigan Richardson played a significant role in No. 13 Duke’s 77-61 triumph over Columbia on Sunday, scoring 19 points and pulling down seven rebounds.
Columbia managed to take an early lead, with the last advantage coming at 11-10. However, Duke quickly responded with a 12-2 scoring run, finishing the first quarter with a 25-17 edge.
As the second quarter progressed, Columbia narrowed the gap to 38-30 before Duke solidified their position with a 3-pointer from Vanessa de Jesus and a jumper from Jadyn Donovan just before halftime. The Blue Devils shot impressively, making 58% of their attempts in the first quarter and 57% in the second, which resulted in a comfortable 43-30 lead at the break.
In the third quarter, Duke’s lead peaked at 18 points with just over four minutes remaining. Nevertheless, Columbia managed to score the last five points of the quarter, cutting the deficit to 63-51 as they prepared for the final segment of the game.
The Blue Devils opened the fourth quarter strong, with Ashlon Jackson and Richardson contributing four points each during a 12-4 run that pushed their advantage to 75-55.
Aside from Richardson, Delaney Thomas also made an impact, adding 10 points and seven rebounds, while de Jesus contributed 10 points and six assists off the bench for Duke, which improved their record to 8-1.
Columbia’s standout players included Kitty Henderson, who scored 20 points, followed by Riley Weiss with 17 points and Cecilia Collins adding 10 points for the Lions, whose record stood at 6-3.
Throughout the match, Duke maintained a shooting percentage of 52%, making four out of 12 attempts from beyond the arc and hitting five of six free throws. In contrast, Columbia shot 38% from the field, with four of 22 from three-point range and completed nine out of 14 free throw attempts.
In their previous encounter last season, Duke triumphed over Columbia with a score of 66-62 in New York, marking this as their second match-up in history.
