No. 11 Duke women won’t have Donovan, Skinner for rest of the season because of lower-body injuries

By Canadian Press on February 9, 2026.

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — The Duke women’s basketball team won’t have guards Jadyn Donovan and Emilee Skinner for the rest of the season because of lower-body injuries.

The 11th-ranked Blue Devils announced Monday that neither player wouldn’t return this season. Donovan, a junior who was part of Duke’s run to last year’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title, had averaged 1.6 points in 11 games but had been out since a hard fall against South Dakota State on Dec. 18.

Skinner, a freshman, arrived as a touted recruit and McDonald’s All-American. She missed the first two games before playing in two, then sat out three weeks before returning for 13 minutes in a Dec. 7 win at Virginia Tech, though she hadn’t played since.

Duke (18-6, 13-0 ACC) has won 15 straight games since a 3-6 start to surge to the top of the league standings. The Blue Devils, who beat SMU 95-36 on Sunday, host 21st-ranked rival North Carolina on Sunday.

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The Associated Press

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