COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Chloe Kitts tied her career high with 21 points to go with 11 rebounds as No. 3 South Carolina held off a late charge by No. 8 Duke for an 81-70 victory Thursday night in the SEC/ACC Challenge, the 62nd straight home win for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina (8-1) built a 25-point lead in the second half, but the Blue Devils (8-2) trimmed it to 71-63 with 6:10 left. Kitts followed with a basket inside and a three-point play to restore the double-digit advantage, and Duke could not get any closer.
The Gamecocks continued a home winning streak that began in December 2020 after their last loss at Colonial Life Arena to N.C. State.
It was the third double-double of the season for Kitts and the ninth of her career as South Carolina won its third in a row, two over ranked opponents, since losing at No. 1 UCLA on Nov. 24.
Tania Mair and Delaney Thomas had 14 points apiece to lead Duke.
Takeaways
Duke: The Blue Devils took too long to find the form that helped them defeat top-10 opponents Kansas State and Oklahoma earlier this season.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have typically overcome slow starts and turned things on late. This time, it was a lackluster finish that had them sweating a little bit in the fourth quarter.
Key moment
It came early as Bree Hall hit a 3-pointer to fuel a 17-2 run and put the Gamecocks ahead for good, 19-6.
Key stat
South Carolina came out fast and shot 60.6% (20 of 33) from the field in the first 20 minutes to lead 51-31.
Up next
Duke starts ACC play at home against Virginia Tech on Sunday. South Carolina faces another top-10 opponent in No. 9 TCU on Sunday.
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