AP Top 25: Duke's win over Notre Dame extends win streak, solidifies comeback from rough start to the season

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Kara Lawson stepped into the partially walled room underneath Syracuse’s JMA Wireless Dome bleachers, quickly scanning the oddity. Above her, Duke fans had cheered a fourth consecutive victory, 71-51, that afternoon of Dec. 28. Around her, team staff flurried about the locker room and hallway, rushing to get out of town before that night’s freezing rain preceded a storm that would dump more than two feet of snow. 

The Blue Devils duck weather, but not elite competition — a fact of which the entire country is aware, given a stack of poor showings that led to a 5-6 non-conference record. They unceremoniously plummeted from the ACC’s preseason Final Four contender to the most clear example of the conference’s demise. Which is why a four-game winning streak and 2-0 start on the road in ACC play that night were so notable to those sitting in the room. 

“I’m proud of them that as we’ve navigated through adversity — and we’ll have more, we’ll have more — but we stuck together and we kept fighting,” Lawson said after the Syracuse win. “And I think that’s a big reason we’ve been able to turn it around the last four games with some wins.” 

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In the week since their win streak matched their losing streak in length, Duke extended those marks to six consecutive wins, 4-0 in the ACC, and finally collected a signature win in an 82-68 victory over then-No. 18 Notre Dame on Sunday. It was their first win over an Associated Press Top 25 poll-ranked opponent in five tries and their first Quad 1 win in six attempts. 

Lawson saw glimpses of this team during that losing skid that spanned a brutal three-game stretch against top-five ranked programs South Carolina, UCLA and LSU. They were generating good shots and forcing opponents into tough ones, even if it wasn’t showing over the course of a game or on the final stat sheet. 

“I would just say to myself, stay in the truth, because it's there, it's there, and as long as we keep growing, we can have some opportunities,” Lawson said. “This will turn around for us.”

The Blue Devils (9-6, 4-0) were able to because of those struggles, Lawson said, with the results on full display against Notre Dame at both ends. They were more connected and stout on both ends in a way they hadn’t been in November, and it started where it always does for Duke. 

Their defense put on the best showing of the season against a National Player of the Year finalist. Two-way standout Hannah Hidalgo, who is nearing the Notre Dame all-time program steals record, had zero of them in the first half. She never found her rhythm and couldn’t spark her own transition offense, though she began to drain second-half 3-pointers while Duke kept her away from the rim. 

The Blue Devils’ own perimeter offense erupted. They were 9-of-18 (50%), second-best on the season, fueled by fluid and fast ball movement. Duke had 19 assists on 30 baskets, drawing help defenders on drives and often feeding reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Toby Fournier on the block to answer. 

“It's a fresh year, so it's hard to have that connection,” Fournier said after scoring 22 against Syracuse. “And we had it off the court, but we couldn't find as much on the court for the first couple of games. And then I think we're really getting into our rhythm now.”