Without Toby Fournier, No. 4 Duke Wins the Third Quarter 27-18 and Beats Green Bay 76-60
No. 4 Duke beat Green Bay 76-60 on Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium after outscoring the Phoenix 27-18 in the third quarter.
Photo: Duke Athletics. Official roster headshot of Arianna Roberson, center, Duke women's basketball, 2026-27 season.
No. 4 Duke beat Green Bay 76-60 on Tuesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium after outscoring the Phoenix 27-18 in the third quarter. Arianna Roberson and Riley Nelson scored 15 points each, and Duke led only 33-31 at halftime. The Blue Devils played without Toby Fournier, last season's leading scorer.
Coach Kara Lawson said afterward that Fournier, a 6-foot-2 forward and preseason All-ACC pick, is dealing with a lower-leg injury, per the Associated Press. Fournier averaged 17.3 points and 7.9 rebounds last season. Lawson said there is no specific timetable for her return.
Roberson came off the bench and shot 6 of 10, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, with five rebounds and four blocks in 23 minutes, per ESPN's box score. Nelson went 4 of 10 from the field and 6 of 6 at the line.
A first half with 10 lead changes
Green Bay is the preseason pick to win the Horizon League for a fourth straight year, per the AP. The Phoenix led 18-16 after the first quarter and went up 25-19 midway through the second.
Duke answered with nine straight points, from 6:59 to 5:01 of the second quarter, by our count from the play-by-play. A Nelson 3-pointer gave Duke the lead at 28-25, and Aaliyah Crump's 3 made it 33-31 at the half, per Duke Athletics. The game had 10 lead changes.
Duke turned it over 12 times in the first half and five times after it, per Duke Athletics. The Blue Devils scored zero points in the paint in the second quarter, per the AP.
The third quarter
That changed after halftime. Duke scored 16 points in the paint in the third quarter alone, per the AP, and opened the period on a 12-5 run to lead 45-36.
Green Bay went 7 minutes and 35 seconds without a field goal, from 1:22 of the second quarter to 3:47 of the third, by our count. Layups from Jordan Wood and Nelson made it 49-37 at the 4:15 mark, per the AP. Duke led 60-49 after three.
Freshman Autumn Fleary scored eight of her nine points in the quarter, including two 3-pointers, by our count. The Phoenix shot 6 of 27 (22.2%) from the field after halftime and made 12 of 14 free throws in the third quarter, per the AP.
Green Bay pulled within 60-53 early in the fourth on a 9-0 run that started late in the third, by our count. Duke did not let the Phoenix closer than seven after that, and won the fourth 16-11.
The numbers
Team totals, per ESPN's box score:
| Category | Duke | Green Bay | | --- | --- | --- | | Field goals | 29-64 (45.3%) | 19-58 (32.8%) | | 3-pointers | 7-23 | 7-23 | | Free throws | 11-14 | 15-18 | | Rebounds | 44 | 31 | | Offensive rebounds | 14 | 9 | | Points in the paint | 36 | 24 | | Blocks | 8 | 1 |
Both teams made seven 3-pointers on 23 attempts. Duke's 13-rebound edge led to 19 second-chance points, per the AP. Duke blocked eight shots to Green Bay's one, and Roberson had half of them.
Crump, a Texas transfer, had 11 points, five rebounds and a career-high six assists in her Duke debut, per Duke Athletics. Delaney Thomas added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Maddy Skorupski led Green Bay with 16 points and went 8 of 8 at the line. Kristina Ouimette made four 3-pointers and scored 14. Elisa Mevius shot 1 of 11.
Up next
Duke is the preseason favorite to win a third straight ACC title, per the AP. It faces North Texas on Sunday in San Antonio. Green Bay hosts Loyola Chicago on Saturday in its home opener.
Duke entered the season No. 4 in the AP Top 25. The announced crowd was 2,838.
Sources:
- Duke Athletics: Nelson, Roberson Power Duke to 76-60 Victory Over Green Bay
- Associated Press via ESPN: Roberson, Nelson lead No. 4 Duke past Green Bay 76-60 to open season
- The Chronicle: No. 4 Duke women's basketball pulls away in second half against Green Bay for 76-60 win
- ESPN: Green Bay vs. Duke box score and play-by-play
- NCAA.com: AP Top 25 women's basketball poll
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