Ashlon Jackson scores 22 to guide No. 11 Duke women to 83-67 victory over Liberty

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- — Ashlon Jackson scored 10 of her 22 points in the third quarter to help No. 11 Duke pull away for an 83-67 victory over Liberty on Thursday night.

Duke (2-0) turned a two-point lead at halftime into a 64-50 advantage by the end of the third quarter. Jackson sank all three of her shots with two 3-pointers and handed out three assists to help the Blue Devils outscore the Flames 25-13 in the period.

Jackson made 7 of 10 shots from the floor, including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc, and 3 of 4 free throws for Duke. Reigan Richardson and reserve Toby Fournier both scored 13. Jordan Wood added 10 points off the bench.

Asia Boone had 15 points to lead Liberty (1-1). Emma Hess scored 11 and Elisabeth Aegisdottir grabbed 10 rebounds.

Jackson had eight points and Wood scored six to help Duke take a 29-15 lead after one quarter.

Boone scored all 11 of her first-half points in the second quarter to rally Liberty within 39-37 at halftime. A 3-pointer by Hess cut the Flames' deficit to 34-33 with 2:55 left, but Jackson answered with a 3-pointer to help the Blue Devils stay in front at intermission.

Jackson opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer and she and Taina Mair hit 3-pointers to cap an 8-0 run as Duke extended its advantage to 55-44 at the 6:22 mark. The Blue Devils stayed in front by double digits from there and led by as many as 20 in the final period.

Duke entered the game having won all six previous matchups with Liberty by an average of 35.5 points.

UP NEXT

Duke: The Blue Devils head to Maryland to take on the 18th-ranked Terrapins on Sunday.

Liberty: The Flames will host California Baptist on Saturday. ------ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball