Duke beats Louisville in OT to repeat as ACC tournament champion

Field Level Media|published: Sun 8th March, 15:52 2026

NCAA Womens Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Championship - Duke Blue Devils vs Louisville Cardinals

Mar 8, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Taina Mair (22) passes the ball in front of Louisville Cardinals guard Reyna Scott (1) during the first half at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Taina Mair and Delaney Thomas both scored 19 points and No. 13 Duke pulled out a 70-65 overtime victory against No. 12 Louisville to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champion on Sunday afternoon in Duluth, Ga.

Thomas made key plays in regulation and overtime as Duke won its 10th ACC tournament overall. Riley Nelson added 12 points and Ashlon Jackson had 11 points for the top-seeded Blue Devils (24-8). Mair had 12 rebounds.

Imari Berry tallied 18 points and Mackenly Randolph posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for the second-seeded Cardinals (27-7), who were unable to avenge a regular-season home loss on Feb. 5. Tajianna Roberts racked up 12 points.

Thomas scored the last basket of regulation -- a tying layup with four seconds left -- and the first two Duke baskets of overtime. She also pulled in a key offensive rebound to prevent Louisville, which was trailing by two, from gaining possession with less than 30 seconds to play in overtime.

That led to Nelson's clinching 3-pointer with six seconds left.

Duke had lost two of its last three regular-season games before a three-game sweep through the tournament.

Mair's 3-pointer pushed Duke to a 51-49 lead with 7:02 to play before the Cardinals built a 57-53 edge going into the final minute of regulation. Thomas converted off an offensive rebound, and Nelson hit a 3-pointer from the right wing in an 18-second span.

Randolph's basket put Louisville up 59-58 with 23 seconds to play. After two Duke misses, Berry made 1 of 2 free throws with 14 seconds to go, setting the stage for Thomas' game-tying basket.

Mair blocked a Louisville 3-point attempt to end regulation.

Louisville built an 11-point lead in the first quarter before Duke responded to take a brief lead in the second quarter. The Cardinals went to halftime with a 32-30 edge. Half of Duke's 10 first-half field goals were 3-pointers.

It was the first time since 2021 that the top two seeds reached the final of the ACC tournament.

--Field Level Media

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