Gorecki, Blue Devils keep surging, knock off Wolfpack

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Haley Gorecki scored 13 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter to help Duke beat No. 8 North Carolina State 70-65 on Monday night.

Onome Akinbode-James added 12 points and Kyra Lambert had 11 for the Blue Devils (17-10, 11-5 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their sixth consecutive game.

Leaonna Odom had 10 points as Duke won at N.C. State for the first time since 2013.

The Blue Devils never trailed, holding on after N.C. State cut its 11-point lead in the second quarter to 31-30 at halftime.

Duke scored on its first four possessions of the third quarter and extended its lead to 62-52 on a three-point play by Gorecki with 3:17 remaining in the game.

After the Wolfpack cut the lead to 66-63, Gorecki made a driving layup with 19.4 seconds left.

Elissa Cunane had 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead N.C. State (23-4, 12-4), which suffered its third loss in four games. Jada Boyd added 15 points for the Wolfpack.

N.C. State made 6 of 24 3-point attempts, shooting below 30% from 3-point range for the fifth consecutive game.

BIG PICTURE

Duke: With eight wins in their last nine games, the Blue Devils are trending in the right direction as the regular season nears its end. They added their second win over a ranked opponent in the last two weeks, bolstering their resume for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth.

N.C. State: It’s now fair to characterize the Wolfpack’s recent struggles as more than a blip. Two weeks ago, they were riding high with a 22-1 record and a No. 4 national ranking. Now, with their perimeter shooting absent, they appear to be limping toward the finish line.

UP NEXT

Duke: The Blue Devils on Thursday night play at Virginia Tech, whom they beat 72-67 in overtime on Jan. 12.

N.C. State: The Wolfpack host Syracuse on Thursday night in their final regular-season home game.