Women’s College Basketball Tournament Champions Crowned

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 9: The Duke Blue Devils celebrate following their victory against ... [+] the NC State Wolfpack in the championship game of the ACC women's basketball tournament at First Horizon Coliseum on March 9, 2025 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
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Duke Blue Devils Win their First ACC Tournament Title in 12 Years
The Duke Blue Devils (#3) win their first ACC championship in 12 years beating (#1) NC State 76-52. This was the first ACC title win for head coach Kara Lawson who took over the helm at Duke in 2020. Lawson becomes the third-consecutive Black coach to win the ACC tournament title following Kenny Brooks who won it in 2023 with Virginia Tech, and Niele Ivey who led Notre Dame to the title in 2022.
The game was a tale of two halves. The Wolfpack started the game on a hot streak leading the first half due to the scoring from Aziaha James, Saniya Rivers, and Zoe Brooks. The Wolfpack went into the the half 36-29, and holding Duke to shooting just 36% from the field. James did go down with a serious injury scare right before the half where she had to be escorted off the court, but returned in the third quarter.
However, coming out of the half, Duke made the adjustments shooting 55.2% in the second half, holding the Wolfpack to 32.3% shooting, and causing them to commit 16 turnovers. Additionally, Duke scored 26 points in the paint and had 33 points from their bench.
For the Blue Devils, Okananwa led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds matching a career high, supported by Ashlon Jackson who added 22 points and six rebounds in the win. Both Okananwa and Jackson were named to the All-Tournament First Team with Okananwa earning MVP honors. James, Rivers, and Brooks all were named to the All-Tournament First Team for the Wolfpack.
After the game head coach Kara Lawson said, “Just incredibly proud of our team and what they were able to accomplish, not just in this game but over the course of the tournament for us. We faced some of the best teams in the country three days in a row.”