Duke Dominates Lehigh with 86-25 NCAA Tournament Victory

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. Lehigh’s 25 points mark the second-fewest ever scored in the tournament’s history.

“Doesn’t matter who your opponent is. You address each and every one with the same intensity,” Okananwa said. “No one wants to go home, so we’re going to bring all we’ve got.” In addition to her scoring effort, Okananwa contributed seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists in just 20 minutes of play.

Alongside Okananwa, Delaney Thomas and Toby Fournier each added 11 points to the Blue Devils’ total. Ella Stemmer led Lehigh with eight points as the Mountain Hawks struggled throughout the contest.

Duke’s defensive prowess was on full display, particularly in the second quarter, where they outscored Lehigh 20-2, establishing a commanding 23-point lead by halftime. Lehigh shot only 1 of 12 from the floor during that period and turned the ball over 10 times. Overall, Lehigh finished with 30 turnovers and a dismal shooting percentage of 19.6%.

“Everyone assumes because it’s frenetic and because it can be oppressive that it’s all about athleticism. It’s really all about intelligence,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said of her team’s approach to defense. “To apply pressure over a period of time and to be disciplined enough to play means that you have to have a highly intelligent group before you have a highly athletic group. Now, when you combine those two, you get some really good results.”

Lehigh coach Addie Micir observed the impact of the loss but maintained a positive outlook. “This doesn’t define us. It doesn’t. It matters because the lessons that they learned throughout the year — it doesn’t get negated by the fact we came here and got our butts kicked. Flat out. Doesn’t negate that at all,” Micir said.

Duke’s victory enhances their record against teams that force 20 or more turnovers to 17-1 this season. Despite entering the game as the nation’s best free-throw shooting team, Lehigh managed only five attempts, making just five of six from the line.

In the fourth quarter, Duke’s Louann Battiston made her first two career three-pointers, despite having played only 51 minutes across her two seasons prior to this match. Okananwa praised her, saying, “She doesn’t always get in many of the games, but regardless, when Coach called her name and she gets in the game, she produces.”

Next, Duke will face No. 10 seed Oregon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.