Syracuse, N.Y. — Led by last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year, the Duke women’s basketball team defeated Syracuse, 71-51 on Sunday afternoon in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Trailing for most of the game, SU was unable to stage a comeback against the Blue Devils with its star freshman hampered by foul trouble.

The defeat marked SU’s first home loss of the season.

The Orange (11-2, 1-1 ACC) started off strong and led 14-7 after Dominique Darius hit two free throws with 2:18 left in the first quarter.

From that point on, Duke took control and went on a 14-0 run until Darius hit a jumper with 5:45 remaining in the second quarter.

Orange center Uche Izoje spent most of the quarter on the bench after picking up her second foul with 7:15 remaining.

The Blue Devils took advantage of Izoje’s absence and opened up an 11-point halftime lead.

Izoje, who entered the game among the nation’s leaders in blocked shots and averaging 13.2 and 8.3 rebounds per game, fouled out with just less than 7 minutes remaining in the game. She finished with eight points, four rebounds and two blocks over just 18 minutes.

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Syracuse Women’s basketball 2025-26: Syracuse vs Duke

After Darius cut the Duke lead to 21-16, Jordan Wood responded with a layup on the next possession for Duke before Darius received a technical foul for her celebration after a deep 3-pointer.

A putback layup from Arianna Roberson with 3 seconds left in the second quarter gave Duke a double-digit lead at the half.

Defense defined the first half, as both teams had four blocks. Neither team shot well from outside the arc, and they shot a combined 1-for-12 from 3. SU shot just 28.1% from the field in the first half.

The third quarter went back and forth, but the Orange could not find a way to string together stops after its scores. A turnaround jumper from Izoje cut Duke’s lead to 11 with 8:26 left in the third — the closest the score would be for the rest of the game.

Darius had a steal and fastbreak layup in the fourth quarter, and Laila Phelia hit a 3-pointer, but the Orange were not able to mount a comeback.

SU struggled on the defensive glass, giving up 17 offensive rebounds to Duke. Izoje, also SU’s leading rebounder, was in foul trouble early and picked up her fourth foul with 2:18 left in the third quarter.

Duke’s Toby Fournier, last season’s ACC Rookie of the Year, scored a game-high 22 points, and Darius led the Orange with 18 points.

The Orange are back home at 6 p.m., Thursday, when they will face Florida State.