Okananwa, gritty defense power Duke to lopsided 86-25 win over Lehigh

By Canadian Press on March 21, 2025.

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.

The number of points scored by the Mountain Hawks are the second-fewest in the history of the tournament.

“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.”

Okananwa, the MVP of the ACC Tournament, also had seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in 20 minutes off the bench for the Blue Devils (27-7). Delaney Thomas and Toby Fournier each added 11 points.

Ella Stemmer led Lehigh (27-7) with eight points.

The Blue Devils’ skill and tenacity on the defensive end was apparent throughout the game but shined in the second quarter. They outscored the Mountain Hawks 20-2 to take a comfortable 23-point halftime lead. Lehigh shot 1 of 12 from the floor in that frame and turned the ball over 10 times.

“Everyone assumes because it’s frenetic and because it can be oppressive that it’s all about athleticism. It’s really all about intelligence,” Lawson said of her team’s 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.”

In all, Lehigh had 30 turnovers and shot a season-low 19.6% from the floor.

“This doesn’t define us. It doesn’t,” Lehigh coach Addie Micir said. “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.”

Takeaways

Duke: The Blue Devils have been one of the best defensive teams in the country all season long and leaned on that strength. Duke is now 17-1 this season when forcing 20 or more turnovers.

Lehigh: The Mountain Hawks were beaten in every facet of the game by the Blue Devils. Lehigh entered this game as the nation’s best free throw shooting team — making 81.1% of their attempts — but they weren’t granted a friendly whistle and shot just 5 of 6 from the foul line.

Fun Moment

Duke’s Louann Battiston, a 5-foot-5 sophomore guard from Belgium, made the first two 3-pointers of her career in the fourth quarter. Entering this game, she had logged just 51 minutes of playing time in two seasons.

“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,” Okananwa said of Battiston.

Up Next

The Blue Devils will host No. 10 Oregon, which defeated No. 7 Vanderbilt in overtime, on Sunday.

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Mitchell Northam, The Associated Press

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