DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Kamilla Cardoso had 15 points and 14 rebounds to help No. 1 South Carolina beat Duke 77-61 on Sunday.
Cardoso, who had her fifth double-double of the season, was one of five players to score in double figures for the Gamecocks (7-0). Chloe Kitts added 14 points and eight rebounds, Te-Hina Paopao scored 12 points, Bree Hall had 13, and Raven Johnson chipped in 11.
Reigan Richardson led Duke (5-3) with 17 points while knocking down a career-best five 3-pointers. Delaney Thomas scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half for the Blue Devils.
Drama ensued before the halftime buzzer sounded. In the final play of the second quarter, Duke’s Jadyn Donovan blocked a layup attempt by Kitts and stared down the South Carolina forward as she lay on the floor, causing a bit of a kerfuffle. South Carolina’s Johnson then motioned for the referees to give Donovan a technical, and they obliged, but gave the Gamecocks guard one too.
The Gamecocks then started the third quarter on a 12-3 run - highlighted by a 3-pointer from Paopao - to take a 15-point lead, the biggest advantage for either side in the game.
Duke battled back from that deficit to tie the game up with 7:43 to play after Richardson sank a shot from behind the arc, but South Carolina responded with a 15-2 burst to take another double-digit lead. Cardoso had eight points in that final stretch for South Carolina.
Notables
After an 11-1 run by Duke brought things within a bucket at the end of the third and the fourth opened with a Blue Devil 3, South Carolina went on a 15-2 run with a defensive effort that ended up holding Duke to just nine points in the final period.
South Carolina had five players finish in double-digits for the fifth time in seven games this season.
Chloe Kitts solidified a new career-high of 14 points against the Devils, shooting 50.0% from the field and going a perfect 2-for-2 at the line. Kitts had six of her team’s 18 points in the first quarter.
Raven Johnson stuffed the box score with a career-high three 3s helping the Gamecocks shoot 60.0% overall (9-for-15) from behind the arc, in addition to four boards, four assists, and two steals.
After dominating the glass through the first three quarters, Kamilla Cardoso closed out her fifth double-double of the season (15 pts/14 rebs) with a dominant offensive fourth quarter, scoring seven of her eight points in the period in a one-minute span after Duke to cap the 15-2 run that decided the game.
Te-Hina Paopao finished with 12 points for her sixth consecutive game in double-figures, knocking down two threes in the third quarter to add to South Carolina’s biggest lead of the game of 15.
Bree Hall was excellent on both sides of the ball, nabbing her third double-figure game of the year after going 3-for-4 from three (knocking one down in three consecutive quarters), all while helping the defense with three boards and a steal.