For the first time since 2013, two teams from the Triangle will face off in the ACC Women’s Tournament final. Third-seeded Duke ensured that with a gritty defensive performance, securing a 61-56 upset over No. 2 seed Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon in Greensboro. The Blue Devils will make their first championship game appearance since 2017, where they will take on top-seeded N.C. State at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Wolfpack aims for its first title since 2022, while Duke is looking to end a 12-year championship drought.
Earlier this season, Duke fell to Notre Dame 64-49 in South Bend, but the Blue Devils clearly learned from that loss. “There’s nothing we’ll do tomorrow that we haven’t already practiced and prepared for,” said Duke’s Oluchi Okananwa before the game. “I feel intensity. I feel a competitive spirit. No matter who we face this postseason, I just want us to go out there and compete.”
Duke’s defense gave Notre Dame one of its toughest challenges of the season. The Irish, averaging 86.1 points per game, had only played five single-digit games this year. The Blue Devils made it six. Notre Dame was limited to 31 first-half points, putting them on pace for a season-low output. Over the first 15 minutes of the second half, Duke allowed just five field goals. Notre Dame’s final total of 54 points was its lowest of the season.
Duke’s third-quarter defense was particularly stifling, forcing six Irish turnovers and holding them scoreless for nearly five minutes while surrendering just three baskets. The Blue Devils disrupted passing lanes and forced tough shots. ACC Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo scored 14 first-half points but was held to just nine after the break.
Notre Dame found early success through its defense, forcing 11 first-half turnovers—eight of them steals—and converting them into 17 points. The Irish, who lead the ACC and rank 22nd nationally in steals per game, averaged 11 per contest. While Duke thrived in transition against Louisville in the quarterfinals, scoring 13 fast-break points and allowing none, it struggled against Notre Dame early, giving up nine fast-break points. However, the Blue Devils adjusted, cleaning up their ball movement and limiting the Irish to just three additional transition points the rest of the way.
Duke committed 21 turnovers, which Notre Dame converted into 27 points. Despite that, the Blue Devils dominated the boards, outrebounding the Irish 38-26. Nine Duke players contributed to the scoring effort, with the team recording 15 assists on 21 made baskets.
Oluchi Okananwa and Delaney Thomas stepped up in key moments. Okananwa led the team with 14 points on a perfect shooting night—3-for-3 from the field, 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, and 4-for-4 at the free-throw line—while also grabbing seven rebounds. Thomas added eight points, also shooting flawlessly from the field and the stripe, along with seven rebounds of her own.
Vanessa De Jesus provided a crucial spark in the first half, hitting two early three-pointers to keep Duke within reach as Notre Dame tried to pull away. Her first triple cut the deficit to one point at the end of the first quarter, and her second tied the game at 20-all.