Arianna Roberson had 15 points and four blocked shots while No. 4 Duke took control after halftime to beat Green Bay 76-60 in Tuesday night’s opener for both teams.

Riley Nelson also scored 15 for the Blue Devils, the preseason favorite to win a third straight Atlantic Coast Conference title. Duke played without preseason all-ACC pick Toby Fournier, with coach Kara Lawson saying afterward that the 6-foot-2 forward who was last year’s leading scorer (17.3) and rebounder (7.9) is dealing with a lower-leg injury. Lawson said she hopes Fournier is back soon but said there is no specific timetable yet.

Duke had a tussle on its hands in the first half, leading just 33-31 at halftime against the preseason pick to win the Horizon League title for a fourth straight year.

But the Blue Devils did a better job asserting themselves inside after halftime, going from managing zero points in the paint in the second quarter to scoring 16 in the third. Throw in a defensive effort that held the Phoenix without a basket for the first six-plus minutes of the period, and the Blue Devils were able to stretch out their margin to 49-37 at the 4:15 mark after layups from Jordan Wood and Nelson.

The Blue Devils would stretch that lead to 16 by late in the period on a three-point play by Wood, then didn’t let the Phoenix get closer than seven again early in the fourth quarter.

Duke shot 45.3% from the field and finished with a 44-31 rebounding advantage that led to 19 second-chance points. The Blue Devils had four players reach double figures, including Texas transfer Aaliyah Crump going for 11 points, five rebounds and six assists in her Duke debut.

Maddy Skorupski finished with 16 points and six rebounds to lead Green Bay, while Kristina Ouimette added 14. But the Phoenix struggled after halftime, shooting just 6 of 27 (22.2%) while hanging around largely by making 12 of 14 free throws in the third quarter to carry the second-half offensive load.

Up next

Green Bay: Loyola Chicago visits the Phoenix in Saturday’s home opener.
Duke: The Blue Devils face North Texas on Sunday in San Antonio.