Toby Fournier is one player that every Duke fan was probably looking forward to seeing the most this season, as she is arguably Duke’s best and most impactful player. And so when she was suddenly sidelined for the team’s opening game on Tuesday, it was definitely a big scare for fans.
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According to head coach Kara Lawson, Fournier is being held out with a lower leg injury, and there is currently no specific recovery date for the junior forward.
“Toby has a lower leg injury. We’re hopeful she’ll be back soon,” Lawson said. “But I don’t have a timetable for you. It’d be by the medical staff. So, yeah, we did miss her.”
Fournier is indeed a key player for Duke. As a sophomore, she led the Blue Devils in scoring at 17.3 points per game, alongside 7.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks, anchoring a squad that advanced to the Elite Eight and won back-to-back ACC Tournament titles.
However, without her in the opener, Duke still came away with a win. They initially struggled, holding only a tight 33-31 lead at halftime. But fellow junior Arianna Roberson stepped up in her absence, delivering 15 points, five rebounds, and four blocks to help the Blue Devils pull away in the second half and secure a 16-point victory.
“Arianna brings a unique skill to the (center) position because she can make 3s and she made two of them tonight, and so that gives us spacing. We like her aggressiveness and we like her ability to score,” Lawson said.
Apart from Arianna, other players like Riley Nelson also rose to the occasion. Nelson added 15 points, three rebounds, and a steal, while Aaliyah Crump contributed 11 points, five rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block. Autumn Fleary and Delaney Thomas also chipped in toward the win.
As it stands, Duke may have to play its next game without its star once again, when it faces the North Texas Mean Green on Sunday. Hopefully, as in this 76-60 victory over Green Bay, the Blue Devils will find a way to come away with another win.
Last season, this team put together a championship-winning 27-9 record after weathering a sluggish 3-6 start against a brutal non-conference schedule. This season, they will be looking towards getting a better start, and according to Lawson, the goal is to do better than last year.
Kara Lawson Sends Clear Message to Duke After Season Opener as Blue Devils Begin Championship Pursuit
Of course, the Duke Blue Devils did manage to secure a win in their opening game. However, for head coach Kara Lawson, the team is yet to reach the level of play she believes will be sufficient enough to compete for a championship.
“I’m confident. We just have a long way to go. We’re not anywhere near where we need to be, and I told them that after the game, not as a knock. It’s okay to not be where you need to be on Game 1,” Lawson said.
And yes, there was clear evidence of needed improvements, especially during the first half of this game. While they ultimately pulled away to secure the win, playing without their focal point, Toby Fournier, they lacked an immediate rhythm. They fell behind by six points early in the game and only managed to scrape together a slim 33-31 lead by halftime.
The Blue Devils also struggled to protect the ball early on. And it was not until the second half that they cleaned up their turnovers and established the spacing that allowed them to build a 16-point cushion. In fact, they finished with 17 turnovers in total and conceded 14 points off them.
As Lawson pointed out, flaws like these are entirely normal in a season opener. The game simply provided a useful blueprint of the execution errors Duke needs to tighten before facing tougher non-conference competition. With Fournier’s return date still unknown, the Blue Devils will be looking to fix those issues quickly and build the consistency a championship pursuit demands.