BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Former Peabody High basketball standout Oluchi Okananwa and her No. 2 Duke University Blue Devils saw their quest for a national championship come to an end Sunday, losing to top-seeded South Carolina, 54-50, in the Elite 8 at Legacy Arena.
In 27 minutes off the bench, Okinawa, the 2024 ACC Sixth Player of the Year, finished with six points, three steals, and a team-high seven rebounds. With Duke trailing with a minute to go, Oluchi cut the deficit to two with a baseline drive and layup, but that was as close as the Blue Devils got in this one.
Days prior, there was a traditional archrivalry with a local twist. Duke took down North Carolina, 47-38, in the Sweet 16 Friday afternoon.
Okananwa, again coming in off the bench, led all scorers and rebounders. She recorded 12 points and 12 rebounds in just 28 minutes. Okananwa (3 double-doubles this season) dished out an assist, committed just one foul, shot 5-for-11 from the field, and buried two 3-pointers.
Perhaps her most impressive basket of the afternoon came in the second quarter, when she rattled home a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer after a ball fake.
Okananwa, a 2023 graduate of Worcester Academy, has averaged 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season.
Following Okananwa on Friday were Duke’s Ashlon Jackson (10 points), Vanessa de Jesus (8), and Delaney Thomas (8).
