Fournier, No. 5 Duke make quick work of Norfolk State

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Toby Fournier scored 20 points and No. 5 Duke started out hot and never cooled in an 85-23 win over outmatched Norfolk State at Echols Hall on Thursday night.

Aaliyah Crump added 14 points for the Blue Devils (3-0), who shot 54.7% from the floor and never trailed.

Duke used its size — its starting lineup had a cumulative 13-inch height advantage over the Spartans — and athleticism to hold a 42-25 rebounding edge, force 19 turnovers, score 56 points in the paint and another 34 in transition.

The Blue Devils, the first team from a Power Four conference to visit Echols, opened all four quarters with dominant runs as the game slipped further away from Norfolk State.

Alexis Davis and Sana’a Garrett both scored five points for the Spartans (1-3), who were held to 16.3% from the floor and missed all nine of their 3-point tries.

Fournier, a 6-foot-2 forward playing in her second game of the season, after battling a lower-leg injury, led the Blue Devils with 17.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last season and was named a preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick.

She did her damage Thursday on 9 of 13 shooting in 23 minutes.

Duke built a 51-13 halftime lead by shooting 21 of 35 (60%), scoring 34 points in the paint and scoring 24 in transition. The Spartans shot 19.2% and didn’t reach double figures until Niylia Wilkins sank a pair of free throws to make it a 42-11 game with 4:02 left in the second quarter.

The Blue Devils scored the game’s first 10 points, all on layups, and held Norfolk State without a field goal for the first 6 1/2 minutes.

The contest, which completed a two-game home-and-home agreement, was Duke’s first at an HBCU since 1977, when the Blue Devils visited both Shaw and North Carolina Central.

Duke won 83-32 in last season’s matchup with the Spartans in Durham, North Carolina.

Duke: Hosts Marshall on Sunday.

Norfolk State: At Hampton on Saturday.

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