Sports
Richardson Reaches 1000 Career Points, Duke Rolls Past Pittsburgh


DURHAM, N.C. – Reigan Richardson scored her 1,000th career point, finishing the afternoon with 13 points to lead the 14th-ranked Blue Devils to a commanding, 69-31, victory over Pittsburgh in ACC women’s basketball action Sunday afternoon.Defensively, Duke (12-3, 3-0) held Pittsburgh (8-8, 0-3) to single digits in each of the first three quarters while forcing the Panthers into 29 turnovers.To stay up to date with Duke women’s basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and subscribe to the YouTube channel by searching “DukeWBB.”Richardson, in her third season at Duke, has amassed 832 points as a Blue Devil and 1,002 for her career. She added three rebounds, two assists and two steals in 23 minutes of action. Delaney Thomas contributed 10 points and six rebounds, finishing the day a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor.
- Following a back-and-forth start to the game, Duke closed on an 11-0 run and held a 20-9 advantage after 10 minutes of play. Senior Reigan Richardson paced six Blue Devils with eight first quarter points.
- Defense continued to be the story as Duke held Pittsburgh to just six points and 18% (2-of-11) shooting from the field in the second quarter, holding Pitt without a field goal for the final three minutes of the frame. The Blue Devils also tallied five steals and a pair of blocks while forcing 10 Panther turnovers.
- The Blue Devils shared the wealth offensively during the frame with seven different scorers. At the break, Duke’s lead stood at 38-15.
- A 9-0 run to jumpstart the third pushed the Duke advantage to 32. The spurt featured baskets from Jadyn Donovan, Taina Mair, Thomas and Richardson, as Duke saw its lead rise to 47-15, with 6:28 to play.
- Richardson’s bucket at the 8:53 mark of the quarter was especially noteworthy as the senior cashed in a pull-up jumper to net her 1000th career point.
- Thomas also got going in the quarter, scoring six of her 10 points while shooting 100% from the floor (3-of-3). Duke closed the third frame with a 53-21 lead.
- Duke stayed steady in the fourth, stretching its lead to 39 points at the six-minute mark. Jordan Wood finished the period with seven points.
- Defensively, the Blue Devils held Pitt to 24-percent shooting, including 13 percent from distance. The Blue Devils registered 29 points off turnovers and outrebounded the Panthers 41-29.
NOTES:
- Duke’s defense was stellar on Sunday, holding Pittsburgh to 31 points on 24.4% shooting – both season lows for the Panthers, while also forcing 29 turnovers. The Blue Devils also racked up 14 steals and matched a season high with eight rejections.
- Duke held Pittsburgh well below its respective season averages in points, field goal percentage and rebounding.
- The Blue Devils limited Pitt to single digit points in each of the first three quarters. For the year, Duke has held its opponents to single digits in 13 quarters.
- The Panthers’ point total (15) and field goal percentage (22.2%) in the first half marked season lows by a Duke opponent. Pitt’s six third-quarter points also tied for fewest by a Blue Devil foe this season.
- Offensively, Duke dropped 18 assists on 26 buckets en route to shooting 45.6% from the field. Duke also knocked down eight triples and sank nine at the charity stripe.
- The sophomore class had their hands all over the game with the quartet of Jadyn Donovan, Oluchi Okananwa, Delaney Thomas and Jordan Wood combining for 34 points, 25 rebounds, six steals and six blocks.
- Duke finished the game with a plus-13 margin (41-28) on the boards, including a 15-9 edge on the offensive glass. The Blue Devils also swept the superlative stats with double-digit margins in nearly all five categories – off the bench (24-1), off turnovers (29-7), in the paint (24-16), in transition (13-0) and second chance opportunities (16-6).
- With her pull-up jumper from the top of the key at the 8:53 mark of the third quarter, Reigan Richardson eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark.
- Richardson finished the game with 13 points to post her ninth double-figure game this season, pushing her collegiate point total to 1,002. She also tallied three rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- Delaney Thomas reached double digits for the seventh time this season and fifth time in her last seven games. She scored 10 points on a perfect 100% (5-of-5) shooting while adding six rebounds as well. Thomas is shooting 28-of-33 (85%) over her last six games.
- Jordan Wood had her hand all over the stat sheet, turning in a strong all-around game with nine points, seven rebounds, career-high four rejections, two assists and two steals.
- Jadyn Donovan and Taina Mair each provided strong contributions with eight points apiece. Donovan added six caroms, two dimes, two steals and a block to her statline while Mair posted three helpers and two thefts.
- Oluchi Okananwa chipped in seven points, six rebounds and a pair of steals.
UP NEXT:
Duke opens a two-game road swing with a midweek contest against Tobacco Road rival, North Carolina, on Thursday, Jan. 9 in Chapel Hill. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m., live on ACC Network.HOW IT HAPPENED
50 Seasons of Duke Women’s Basketball
The 2024-25 season marks the 50th anniversary of Duke women’s basketball, a program rich in tradition, excellence and success. From its early foundations to national dominance, the Blue Devils have become a powerhouse in both athletics and academics. Join us in commemorating five decades of sisterhood, championships and iconic moments as we set the stage for the next 50 years. For more information, please visit goduke.com/WBB50.
#GoDuke
Sports
Emma Reaves Breaks Own School Record in Tri-Meet with URI, Stonehill
UNH’s men’s track and field team finished in third with 89 points, while URI won the meet with 96 points and Stonehill closed with 91 points.
In addition to Reaves’ win, the following Wildcats placed:
- Women’s Long Jump
- Sophomore Sarah Moore (Lisbon, Maine), first place (5.75m)
- Graduate student Autumn Agri (Stratham, N.H.), second place (5.35m)
- Junior Audrey Thornton (Freedom, N.H.), third place (5.28m)
- Men’s Long Jump
- Freshman Rio Calle (Weare, N.H.), fourth place (7.01m)
- Women’s Triple Jump
- Men’s Triple Jump
- Sophomore Ethan Palmer (Bowdoin, Maine), third place (14.60m)
- Women’s Shot Put
- Reaves, first place (14.38m)
- Freshman Payton Goulding (Cumberland, R.I.), third place (11.86m)
- Sophomore Ruby Prentiss (Falmouth, Maine), sixth place (11.13m)
- Men’s Shot Put
- Women’s Weight Throw
- Reaves, first place (17.87m)
- Goulding, third place (15.23m)
- Junior Briana Danis (Hooksett, N.H.), fifth place (15.06m)
- Prentiss, sixth place (14.31m)1.5
- Men’s Weight Throw
- Senior Liam McGovern (North Kingstown, R.I.), first place (19.79m)
- Abaka-Amuah, second place (19.53m)
- Senior Jack Washam (Nashua, N.H.), third place (17.73m)
- Women’s High Jump
- Men’s High Jump
- Junior Gunnar Sokol (Berwick, Maine), seventh (1.90m)
- Sophomore Samuel Grube (Dover, N.H.), ninth (1.90m)
- Men’s Pole Vault
- Men’s 1 Mile
- Women’s 60m Hurdles
- Women’s 600m Run
- Men’s 600m Run
- Sophomore James Gecek (High Bridge, N.J.), seventh (1:25.58)
- Women’s 60m Dash
- Nada, first (7.71)
- Moore, second (7.72)
- Thornton, third (7.88)
- Sophomore Eva Roberts (Derry, N.H.), fifth (7.92)
- Men’s 1000m Run
- Women’s 300m Dash
- Thornton, second (42.43)
- Sophomore Brooke White (Barnet, Vt.), fifth (42.90)
- Senior Liliana Chirichella (Troy, N.H.), seventh (43.66)
- Roberts, ninth (45.25)
- Women’s 3000m Run
- Senior Claire Ronan (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), first (10:09.32)
- Senior Carolyn Day (Wolfeboro, N.H.), third (10:37.08)
- Men’s 3000m Run
- Women’s 4x400m Relay
- New Hampshire “A” (Chirichella, Hickey, Dillon, Agri), second (4:08.42)
- Men’s 4×400 Relay
- New Hampshire “A” (Gecek, Daniel Anderson [Naugatuck, Conn.], Calle, Lesniak), fourth (3:28.38)
Sports
ACU Heads to College Station for First Meet of the Indoor Season
The ACU track and field team opens its indoor season by competing in the McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational on the campus of Texas A&M on Saturday. The meet will be a low-key meet designed to get in some competition before the Christmas break.
Joining ACU and host Texas A&M in the field will be Baylor, Sam Houston State, SMU, and UTSA.
This meet will be the first competition for several newcomers to the program. There are plans to have three 4×400 relays for the women and the men and some of the newcomers will only run on the relays this weekend.
ACU entries for the men include: 60 (Horatio Brooks); 300 (Gage Heighten); 1000 (Evan Martin); Mile (Benjamin Castro, Vincent Luffey); 3,000 (Mark Barajas, Carlos Cortez); 60 hurdles (Canaan Fairley, Miguel Hall); high jump (Canaan Fairley); long jump (Horatio Brooks); weight throw (Rhet Punt, Matthew Udemba).
There will also be a large relay pool to fill out the three 4×400 relays and this pool includes newcomers who will only be competing in the relays – Durrell Collins, Abraham Olufemi-Dada, Nickens Lemba – and two returnees also running solely on the relays this weekend – Ethan Krause and Ryan McMeen.
ACU entries for the women include: 60 (Lauren Foxworth, Darinasia Taylor, Kee’Lani Whitlock, Neriah Williams, Morgan Morris, Halle Gunter, Jaeden Thomas); 300 (Morgan Morris, Kaycian Johnson); 600 (Madelyn McFadden, Anna Vyn, Gracee Whiteaker, Jalyn Childers); 1000 (Emma Santoro); Mile (Lola Buentello); 60 hurdles (Hana Banks, Nele Huth, Natalie Poe, Skyla Riedel); high jump (Kaia Anderson, Kennadi Payne, Natalie Poe); long jump (Halle Gunter, Nele Huth, Skyla Riedel, Jaeden Thomas); shot put (Sterling Glenn, Ciara Tilley, Mariana Van Dyk); weight throw (Sterling Glenn, Mariana Van Dyk).
Because the McFerrin Invitational will not have a triple jump in the meet, two Wildcats took part in the OU Winter Field Fest. Arthur Jenkins recorded a 14.94m triple jump, while Mackenzie Flaugher went 11.70m.
The McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational will be held in the Murray Fasken Indoor Track on the Texas A&M campus. The field events will begin at 2 p.m. and the running events at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Coach Miles Smith: I’m excited to see our kids compete. They have been working hard. We have a lot of newcomers who are getting their first taste of collegiate competition, so it will be fun to watch them compete. Our goal is to come out healthy and learn what we need to work on over the next few weeks before the bulk of our season kicks off in mid-January.
Sports
Petitjean, Weber Set Personal Bests In Boston
BOSTON – The Elon University women’s track and field team opened its indoor season with two members of its distance squad competing at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener on Saturday at the BU Track and Tennis Center.
Senior Sarah Petitjean led the Phoenix in the 3,000 meters, posting a personal-best time of 9:49.97 to place 52nd in a field of 95 runners.
In the 5,000 meters, junior Hannah Weber also set a personal record with a time of 16:29, improving her previous best by nearly three seconds.
ON DECK
Elon will be idle for the winter break before returning to competition on Jan. 17 at the Mondo College Invitational at the JDL Fast Track Complex.
— ELON —
Sports
Mountaineers Set New 4×400-Meter Relay Meet Record at Indoor Season Opener
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The App State women’s track and field team opened the 2025-26 indoor season at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-Off on Saturday. A new meet record, set by the 4×400-meter relay quartet of junior Nicole Wells, seniors Damyja Alejandro-Ortiz and Daye Talley, and junior Jayla Adams, punctuated the day’s action.
“This was a great season opener for all event groups to knock the rust off from months ago. The athletes are really motivated to be back from break and start the season.” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “Expectations are high this season, so we have to stay motivated on an elite level to be competitive.”
Wells, Alejandro-Ortiz, Talley, and Adams stopped the clock at 3:45.76 for a new meet record in the women’s 4×400-meter relay. The previous meet record was 3:49.07, set in 2021 by Duke’s Jenna Crean, Lauren Hoffman, Megan McGinnis, and Kiara Ekeigwe. The Mountaineers were two seconds shy of the App State school record of 3:43.85, which was set at the 2023 Sun Belt Indoor Championships. Earlier in the afternoon, Adams and Talley finished third (24.39) and fifth (24.77), respectively, in the women’s seeded 200 meters. Adams remains third in the App State all-time list with her personal best of 24.22, which she set during the 2024 campaign. In the women’s unseeded 200 meters, sophomore Kaitlyn McLeod placed fifth with a time of 25.04.
In her collegiate indoor debut, freshman Alana Braxton posted a pair of first place finishes in the women’s triple jump (12.32m (40′ 5″)) and women’s long jump (5.87m (19′ 3.25″)). Fellow freshman Ashlynn Wimberly landed second with a leap of 12.14m (39′ 10″) and sophomore Jahaila Wright placed sixth with a leap of 11.60m (38′ 0.75″) in the women’s triple jump. With a leap of 5.31m (17′ 5.25″) freshman Kelly MacBride rounded out the top 10 in the women’s long jump.
Senior Ava Studney placed first in the women’s pole vault, recording a clearance of 3.95m (12′ 11.5″).
Junior Kendall Johnson placed second with a time of 7.50 in the women’s 60 meters, coming within 0.08 of her personal best and program record of 7.42, which she set at last season’s SBC Indoor Championships. Wells rounded out the top 10 in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.73.
With a time of 2:18.09, senior Addison Ollendick-Smith placed fourth in the women’s 800 meters. Ollendick-Smith, who stands second all-time in the program record book, was seven seconds shy of her personal best of 2:11.13, which she set last season.
With a personal best toss of 14.70m (48′ 2.75″), junior Dianna Boykin placed eighth in the women’s weight throw. Sophomore Emily Edwards placed eighth with a toss of 12.17m (39′ 11.25″) in the women’s shot put and rounded out the top 10 in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 14.03m (46′ 0.5″).
Up Next
The Mountaineers will resume the indoor track and field season with the UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener at Tryon International on Jan. 10.
Sports
No. 2 seed ASU volleyball advances to Sweet 16 in NCAA Tournament
Updated Dec. 5, 2025, 11:15 p.m. MT
One step closer.
No. 2 seed Arizona State volleyball is back in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons.
The Sun Devils defeated Utah State in four sets (25-15, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Desert Financial Arena on Friday, Dec. 5.
“It was really special for me,” senior outside hitter Bailey Miller said. “I was one of the only ones last year when we got upset (in the second round), so I think going into it, all the girls just wanted to recognize all the girls who didn’t get to go to the Sweet 16 last year and took it seriously. It was really special.”
ASU’s return to the Sweet 16 offers a sweeter follow-up to last season’s second-round exit after the Sun Devils earned a hosting bid for the first two rounds. As painful as it was for coach JJ Van Niel, he chose not to let last year cloud the current success.
“I don’t reflect back,” Van Niel said. “That’s negative, but it’s just moving forward. Every year is a new shot, but last year was very painful. Mostly, because I didn’t think we played our best volleyball.”
With few players remaining from last year, Van Niel wasn’t sure how ASU’s season would go and if they’d repeat as Big 12 champions and NCAA Tournament hosts. But his team has done both and added more with a Sweet 16 berth.
“I really had no idea this year what we were going to look like,” Van Niel said. “It’s 100% a new lineup and I’m really proud of these kids because they’ve fought and they’ve scrapped. They’ve all gotten better through the year and they’ve earned this Sweet 16, it’s a really special group.”
What was key for ASU was their defense against a scrappy team that rarely went down in one swing. The Sun Devils were up to the task as they benefited from USU’s 21 attack errors.
USU’s strong offense forced ASU’s middle blockers to front the middle, exploiting their right-side players. While the middle blockers didn’t get as many kills as they did in the first round, it opened the floor for Miller, Noemie Glover and Tatum Parrott.
Miller led ASU with 18 kills on .471 hitting and two errors, a stark improvement from her first-round performance. Glover didn’t commit any errors and had 17 kills on .531 hitting. Parrott added 13 kills.
ASU was serving well again as the Aggies sided out 56.3% of the time, including less than half the time in the first set. Miller’s three aces helped ASU finish with a 7-5 advantage in service aces.
“They’re a great offensive team and their middle (blockers) were very active,” Miller said. “We haven’t really seen a lot of that, so it definitely took some adjusting. But in the end, that’s our bread and butter, being able to adjust and be ready.”
The Aggies got their first lead since early in the first set when they started with an 8-5 edge over ASU in the third set. Instead of putting them away like in the first two sets, ASU had trouble against USU’s attack.
As the third set neared the end, neither side scored twice for six consecutive points until USU got a 24-22 lead over ASU. The Aggies then scored off a bad set from ASU’s Sydney Henry.
The Aggies were strong to start the fourth set, but ASU’s 6-0 run midway through the set helped the Sun Devils gain the separation needed and eliminate them.
The Sun Devils will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, and play No. 3 Creighton in the regional hosted by No. 1 seed Kentucky, either Dec. 12 or 13.
ASU capped off an impressive season at home where it went 16-0, and only dropped eight sets in those games.
Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
Catch the best high school sports coverage in the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And be sure to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you don’t miss a thing.
Sports
Babcock sets record as Pitt women’s volleyball team rolls in 1st round of NCAA Tournament
Olivia Babcock didn’t realize her performance during the first round of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament gave her the Pitt record for most kills in a season. Babcock knew she met the previous record holder, Wendy Hatlestad, during alumni weekend.
Babcock recorded 13 kills during the Panthers’ 25-10, 25-17, 25-13 win Friday night at Petersen Events Center in front of a crowd of 4,240. Babcock now has 558 kills, going past the single-season record of 555 Hatlestad set in 2003.
“I was talking to her two weeks ago,” Babcock said. “That’s crazy I just met her. But I think it says a lot about how much my team trusts me to take those big rips, and it gives me the opportunity to score and get as many kills as I do.”
Everyone had a good night hitting for the top-seeded Panthers, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the 10th straight season.
The Panthers committed only four attack errors against UMBC (13-12) and finished with a hitting percentage of .551.
“It’s really good to start out and to remind ourselves to maintain high standards,” Babcock said. “Obviously, all of these teams have made it into the tournament because they’re an amazing team, and everyone’s going to bring their best volleyball. I think we just need to make sure that we’re playing our best, too, because, especially in these matches, we don’t wanna slip up and give away a set or a match.”
Pitt (27-4) hasn’t dropped a set in the first round since it beat VCU, 3-1, in 2017 at Penn State.
The Retrievers qualified for the tournament after winning the America East Conference for the fifth time in the past six seasons. Pitt setter Brooke Mosher, who finished with 34 assists, said the Panthers got themselves in system thanks to their good passing.
Blaire Bayless was second for the Panthers with nine kills, and Abby Emch contributed eight.
“That made it really easy for me to spread the ball around and get the middles involved,” Mosher said. “Then, I trusted my teammates to be able to put the ball away.”
Pitt lost the first point of the match after UMBC delivered on a kill by Jalynn Brown. The Panthers responded by scoring the next three points, capping the surge with an ace by Izzy Masten.
UMBC struggled to find holes in Pitt’s defense. The Retrievers hit .129 and were led by seven kills from Hannah Dobbs.
UMBC coach Kasey Crider was happy with how they played.
“We don’t have an Olivia Babcock slayer, so, bummer,” Crider said. “I’ve been to this tournament a few times as a head coach and assistant coach, and I’ve never walked away from the tournament thinking we were the best at the end until today. It still hurts, but there were no regrets.”
Pitt will take on Michigan in the second round Saturday. The Wolverines advanced by beating Xavier. The Panthers are 3-6 all-time against the Wolverines.
Pitt’s only meeting with Michigan in the NCAA Tournament came in 2018, when the Wolverines upset Pitt in five sets at Petersen Events Center.
Mosher, who previously played in the NCAA Tournament with Illinois, said she doesn’t feel any extra pressure playing as the No. 1 seed.
“I think just being in the tournament has its own weight in itself,” Mosher said. “Every game your season is on the line, which is the same no matter who you are.”
Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoFirst Tee Winter Registration is open
-
Rec Sports1 week agoFargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoCPG Brands Like Allegra Are Betting on F1 for the First Time
-
Sports2 weeks agoVolleyball Recaps – November 18
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoF1 Las Vegas: Verstappen win, Norris and Piastri DQ tighten 2025 title fight
-
Sports2 weeks agoTwo Pro Volleyball Leagues Serve Up Plans for Minnesota Teams
-
Sports2 weeks agoUtah State Announces 2025-26 Indoor Track & Field Schedule
-
Sports2 weeks agoSycamores unveil 2026 track and field schedule
-
Motorsports1 week agoRedemption Means First Pro Stock World Championship for Dallas Glenn
-
NIL6 days agoBowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14





