Duke's Jackson injured against Virginia Tech

DURHAM – Duke sophomore Richa Jackson injured her left knee in the first half of the Blue Devils' 67-45 victory Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

Jackson, a starting foward for the No. 5 Devils, went down awkwardly out of bounds near the nine minute mark of the first half. She remained on the floor for several minutes and, limping on her right leg, had to be assisted off the court. 

She would not return.

Asked for an update on Jackson, Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said, "I can't give you anything more, but she's hurt. I'm not a doctor. She's out."

Duke officials said Jackson will undergo an MRI on Thursday morning. 

The loss of Jackson, who is averaging 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game, could be significant for the Devils, who have three regular season games remaining – Maryland on Sunday, Miami on Feb. 24 and North Carolina on Feb. 26  – before the start of the ACC tournament on March 1.

Prior to Jackson's injury, the Devils had been playing without sophomore starting guard Chloe Wells, who played in the first 10 games of the season but violated university policy and is not enrolled during the spring semester.

Duke freshman forward Amber Henson had surgery to stabalize her right patella on Jan. 6. 

"There's a lot of playing time that's now got to be picked up," said McCallie, referencing the potential loss of three starters. She said reserve players such as Ka'lia Johson and Kathleen Scheer can expect more minutes.

"The key is to the team and ushering in those people quickly," McCallie added. "Giving them confidence. They miss a couple shots. That's there job. They have to usher them in quickly, make them look good."

After Wednesday night's game, Jackson was seen walking with crutches and large bag of ice tapped to her knee. She was getting a ride home with Duke assistant coach Joy Cheek.