Senior guard Shannon Samuels sank a pair of free throws with nine seconds left to complete the River Hawks comeback from a 16-point first half deficit. Samuels took over the game, pouring in 19 of her game-high 31 points after the break. The River Hawks trailed for nearly 31 minutes before taking their first lead on a runner by junior Lindsey Doucette. Samuels and Doucette would account for all the scoring during a 17-8 run capped by Doucette's runner.   

SCOUTING THE BLUE DEVILS: Following a heartbreaking 51-50 loss to No. 1 South Carolina, the Blue Devils found themselves in the midst of their first three-game losing streak since 2007-08 before they bounced back with a 92-72 victory over Oklahoma on Wednesday. Duke is led by Preseason All-ACC selection Elizabeth Williams who enters the game averaging 14.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. The senior forward is coming off her finest performance of the year against Oklahoma as she posted 26 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, blocked three shots and added two steals. The Blue Devils also tout redshirt freshman Rebecca Greenwell who is averaging 13.8 points while grabbing 7.7 rebounds per contest.

ALL-TIME SERIES: This marks the first meeting between the River Hawks and the Blue Devils.

BREAKS OVER: The River Hawks will play their first game in nine days against Duke after they played three in a span of six days.

SAMUELS CONFERENCE HONOR: The America East Conference named Shannon Samuels the Player of the Week after she helped guide the team to a 2-0 record while leading the conference in scoring at 27.5 points per game last week. Samuels also added 4.0 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and from 3-point range.

COMEBACK KIDS: The River Hawks have found themselves trailing at halftime the last two games, 12 points most recently to Bryant and by three against Yale. The team has returned from the intermission with the right adjustments as they have come back to win both contests, ripping off a 17-8 run against Bryant and  21-6 run against Yale.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE DOUCETTE: Junior Lindsey Doucette's nine career double-double's rank third in the America East among active leaders. The forward recorded her second of the season last Monday against Yale with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Her first double-double came in a 14 point (6/10 FG) and 11 rebound showing in a road win over Columbia. She also handed out three assists, blocked two shots and picked up a steal against the Lions. 

RANKED OPPONENTS: The River Hawks have faced three nationally ranked teams since transitioning to the Division I level last year. The team has come up on the short end each time.  

DUKE VERSUS THE AE: The Blue Devils faced AE foe Stony Brook on Nov. 28 and came away with a 72-42 victory at Cameron Indoor. They are 5-1 all-time against AE teams and are undefeated against America East teams in Durham.