Raegan Richardson scored 22 points, Ashlon Jackson added 13 points and Duke dominated the second half to defeat No. 14 Virginia Tech 63-46 on Thursday night.
Duke (12-5, 4-2 ACC) improved to 16-3 last season, including a 66-55 win against the Hokies at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Jackson scored eight points at the beginning of the third quarter, giving Duke its first lead of the game at 27-26 with 7:47 left. The Blue Devils had a one-point lead, but when they went for a loose ball with 6:36 left in the third, a violent collision sent Virginia Tech point guard Georgia Amoore to the locker room. But she didn't return. The Blue Devils scored 19 of the next 22 points to pull away.
Elizabeth Kitley made just three field goals in the third quarter for Virginia Tech. She had 18 points and 10 rebounds for Virginia Tech (13-4, 4-2). The Hokies fell short of 50 points for the first time since January 23, 2022.
After Virginia Tech scored 13 points early in the game, Duke missed nine consecutive shots before making its first field goal with 2:27 left in the first quarter. The Hokies scored just two points in the first five minutes of the second quarter as Duke got within 20-12.
Virginia Tech turned it over 11 times in the first half, ending with Richardson's fast-break layup with 15 seconds left to pull Duke within 26-21 at halftime. Kitley scored 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting to keep the Hokies in the lead, and the rest of his teammates combined for 5-of-19.
Former Duke standout Jasmine Thomas announced her retirement from the WNBA early Thursday after a 13-year professional career.
Duke will face No. 4 North Carolina State on Sunday, the second of three consecutive ranked opponents.
Virginia Tech hosts Clemson on Sunday.
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