ATLANTA — In a closely contested matchup, the No. 14 Duke women’s basketball team emerged victorious against No. 18 Georgia Tech with a final score of 55-50 on Sunday. Delaney Thomas, Taina Mair, and Oluchi Okananwa each contributed 12 points, while the Blue Devils significantly clamped down on defense, limiting the Yellow Jackets to a mere five points in the final quarter.

The game reached a stalemate at 45-45 after three quarters. Georgia Tech, with a record of 17-4 and 5-4 in the ACC, managed to score first at the beginning of the fourth, but Duke quickly responded with a powerful 10-2 run. Okananwa’s layup with four minutes to go put Duke ahead 55-49, marking the last time the Blue Devils would score in the game. The Yellow Jackets’ final field goal came from Tonie Morgan at the 5:13 mark, with Kara Dunn hitting one of her two free throws, bringing Georgia Tech’s final score to 50.

On the offensive front, Duke’s shooting statistics included 23 successful field goals out of 61 attempts, which translates to a shooting percentage of 37.7%. The team struggled from beyond the arc, making only 3 of their 12 three-point attempts (25%). Thomas excelled on the boards, grabbing eight rebounds in addition to her scoring. Mair contributed significantly with five assists, while Okananwa, coming off the bench, added six rebounds and two assists to her performance.

Contrastingly, Georgia Tech faced a difficult fourth quarter with a disappointing shooting performance, managing only 2 out of 19 from the field, including an 0-for-7 from three-point range in the last ten minutes. Overall, the Yellow Jackets finished with 21 field goals from 63 attempts (33.3%) and achieved a dismal 1 of 20 from long range. Zoesha Smith led Georgia Tech with a double-double, accumulating 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Dunn chipped in 10 points and five rebounds.

Thomas statistically shone brightest during the third quarter, where she scored a significant portion of her total points. This victory marked Duke’s fifth consecutive win, placing them second in the ACC, trailing only Notre Dame, who maintains an unbeaten record of 8-0. The Blue Devils are scheduled for a week off before facing No. 20 NC State on February 3.