Alison Bales   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 18 7 2-6 0-0 3-4 0 0-5-5 2 1 2 1 TOT 36 17 4-13 0-0 9-10 2 0-7-7 3 1 2 2   Ali wound up with decent numbers and had some big plays, but Coach G was disappointed that she couldn't do more against State when their bigs were either injured or out with foul trouble. She only had 2 field goals in the paint, though to her credit she was a superb 9-10 from the foul line. She had a chance to give Duke the lead at the end of the game and couldn't get her shot to fall. Like the rest of Duke's players, Ali simply has to go back to basics, get rest and be prepared for some tough practices. Every team in America will be looking to rough Duke up now, and they must be prepared for it. Thankfully, there aren't many players out there with Goring's size to bother Ali, but she will need to reprise her aggressive play in last year's NCAA tournament if Duke wants to make the same kind of run. Carrem Gay   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 11 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0-0 0 0 1 1 TOT 22 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 2-1-3 0 0 4 2   Carrem wasn't ready to go up against a leaper like Whittington. She was continually outworked in this game on the boards and simply couldn't block anyone out. Thankfully, she'll have a couple of weeks to get fully healthy and in best practice form. Wanisha Smith   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 15 2 1-2 0-1 0-0 3 0-2-2 0 0 0 2 TOT 33 9 3-6 1-3 2-2 3 0-4-4 0 0 2 3   This was not a great game for Nish. When Duke needed her to be more aggressive with the ball in the first half, the Pack instead made her disappear. With Waner face-guarded and Harding locked up, the Devils desperately needed another guard to step up and score. Nish has been doing this all year, but never got going in this game. She also lost track of Marquetta Dickens several times, letting her get plenty of open looks. All three of State's starting guards shot over 50% from the floor; if even one had been shut down, Duke probably would have won the game. Nish did hit a big three in the second half, but blew a layup that could have salted away the game. Hopefully she'll get back on the horse and will be a bit more aggressive in knocking down those big shots in big games. Abby Waner   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 19 9 3-3 3-3 0-0 0 0-1-1 0 0 3 1 TOT 37 17 6-9 5-8 0-0 4 0-2-2 0 0 4 1   Abby was once again feeling it from the perimeter, but State started face-guarding her after she drained her first 3 shots. Abby's fire was at its usual level, and she was clearly the player who was the angriest after the loss. She was angry at herself for that last shot she took, which was really the only bad one she had in the game. Abby moved the ball around nicely in the second half, finding Bales twice for scores and hitting Smith for a three. Lindsey Harding   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 18 8 2-8 0-2 4-4 2 0-0-0 0 1 0 1 TOT 37 10 3-13 0-3 4-4 4 1-3-4 1 1 1 4   This was one of Lindsey's toughest days. Key stuck to her like glue throughout the game, funnelling her towards help defenders who rotated over quickly. The result was Lindsey either having to take contested shots from the perimeter or contested shots going to the basket. State took her quite seriously as a scorer and made sure that she never got into a rhythm. On the other end, the Wolfpack didn't hesitate when open, because they knew giving Harding any time to rush over and disrupt their shots would be disastrous. Lindsey did make several great defensive plays, including taking a charge and blocking the shot of a player 6 inches taller than she was. Joy Cheek   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 11 6 2-3 0-1 2-2 0 0-1-1 0 0 0 1 TOT 20 8 3-4 0-1 2-2 0 2-3-5 0 0 2 4   It's a shame that Joy had that late turnover because it marred what was otherwise an excellent game. She got tough rebounds, hit shots inside, nailed a jumper, sank 2 free throws and even had a good look from three. Cheek has become one of Duke's toughest and most reliable players. She's not afraid of big games or pressure situations. Hopefully this trend will continue in the NCAA tournament. Brittany Mitch   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 3 2 0-1 0-0 2-2 0 1-0-1 0 1 0 0 TOT 3 2 0-1 0-0 2-2 0 1-0-1 0 1 0 0   Brit had a solid game considering her limited minutes. With Smith & Cheek in foul trouble, she did a nice job at guard, hitting 2 crucial foul shots at the end of the first half. Bridgette Mitchell   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st DNP TOT 1 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-1-1 0 0 0 2   Bridgette's playing time was a bit too little, too late. It would have been interesting to have seen her inserted a bit earlier to see if she could have made a difference on the boards. I would guess that Coach G was too worried about her being in the wrong spot defensively, but I still think she could have brought Duke some much-needed energy at times. Emily Waner   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 5 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0-0 0 0 0 1 TOT 11 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0-0 0 0 0 1   State threw a blanket over Em, not letting her get any open looks. Dickens also abused her on defense, taking her off the dribble and pulling up for jumpers. State had Duke scouted perfectly--they didn't overpenetrate, and their offensive rebounding set up ability to pass from inside-out. Keturah Jackson   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st DNP TOT DNP   NCSU   PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 31 13-32 2-7 3-4 9 6-11-17 1 0 7 8 TOT 70 28-61 4-12 10-18 14 11-20-31 1 3 11 15 Duke   PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 34 10-23 3-7 11-12 5 2-11-13 2 3 6 8 TOT 65 20-47 6-15 19-20 13 7-23-30 4 3 15 19 Please use top menu to reach any of our photo galleries! Copyright © 2007 DWHOOPS.COM (Orin A. Day, Durham, NC, USA.) All Rights Reserved.