DULUTH, Ga. (Interstat) — The Duke women’s basketball team used a dominant first half to build an insurmountable lead and exact a measure of revenge against Clemson, securing a 60-46 victory in an Atlantic Coast Conference game Friday afternoon at Gas South Arena.

The Blue Devils, improving to 22-8 overall, avenged a narrow 53-51 loss to the Lady Tigers just two weeks prior. Clemson, which had won three of its last four, fell to 21-11.

The most important part of the game was Duke’s overwhelming defensive performance in the first half, which completely stifled Clemson’s offense and built a lead that proved too large to overcome. The Blue Devils held the Lady Tigers to a mere five points in the second quarter, turning a competitive first period into a commanding 38-19 halftime advantage.

Clemson started adequately, trailing just 20-14 after the first quarter thanks to early three-pointers from Rusne Augustinaite and Mia Moore. But the offense collapsed entirely in the second period. The Lady Tigers went scoreless for nearly seven minutes, missing nine consecutive field goal attempts and committing five turnovers during the drought. Duke capitalized with a 12-0 run, fueled by interior scoring from Delaney Thomas and Toby Fournier, to push its lead to 32-14.

Fournier, a 6-foot-2 forward from Toronto, was instrumental throughout, finishing with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds to go with three blocked shots. Her activity on both ends set the tone for Duke’s physical approach.

Meanwhile, Clemson’s leading scorer, Rachael Rose, was held in check. The senior guard from Scranton, Pennsylvania, managed just seven points on 3-of-11 shooting, though she did contribute five assists. The Lady Tigers shot a frigid percentage from the floor for the game and connected on only a small fraction of their three-point attempts, a stark contrast to their more efficient performance in the earlier upset of Duke.

The Blue Devils’ lead ballooned to as many as 23 points in the third quarter before Clemson showed signs of life. A 9-2 run to close the third, capped by a Mia Moore turnaround jumper, cut the deficit to 46-33 entering the final frame. The Lady Tigers continued to chip away in the fourth, pulling within 11 points on multiple occasions, the last at 54-43 following a Taylor Johnson-Matthews driving layup with just over three minutes remaining.

Each time Clemson threatened, Duke had an answer. Following that Johnson-Matthews basket, the Blue Devils responded with a critical 6-0 spurt over the next minute and a half. Ashlon Jackson converted a layup while being fouled, and after a Clemson turnover, Fournier scored on a tip-in and completed a three-point play. That sequence pushed the lead back to 60-43 with 1:47 to play, effectively sealing the outcome.

Duke’s defense was a collective effort, with 6-foot-4 freshman Jordan Wood of Chicago contributing four blocks in just 21 minutes off the bench. Thomas added 14 points and six rebounds, while Taina Mair filled the stat sheet with 11 points, eight rebounds and three assists. The Blue Devils controlled the glass and forced 18 Clemson turnovers.

For Clemson, Moore led the way with a team-high 15 points. Johnson-Matthews added 12 points, all in the second half. But the Lady Tigers could not replicate the defensive intensity or clutch shooting that propelled them to the two-point win in February.

The game, part of the ACC’s postseason tournament or a neutral-site event, saw Duke advance its record while halting Clemson’s recent momentum. The Blue Devils’ ability to establish their defensive will early, particularly in a devastating second quarter, proved to be the decisive and most important phase of the contest.