The 2nd Half Coach G noted that the team's poor play in the last minute of the first half made it easy for the team to get refocused in the second half. Duke tore off a 9-1 run in the first three minutes, punctuated by rebounding & defense. Smith atoned for her late errors by hitting Gay inside for a score and bouncing a pass with some wicked spin to A.Waner for a finish. Gay took a pass insided and then passed out to Harding, who drove in and around the basket and finished with her left hand. Waner sank a three to make it 52-28. Abby hit a three and was fouled on a pass from her sister to give Duke a 28 point lead and a bump on her head. The next six minutes were a bit of a slog for both teams as fouls mounted and turnovers piled up. Duke's only field goal was a smooth E.Waner three on a pass out from Cheek. Tech crawled to within 64-39 with about ten minutes left, but the Devils ran off 10 straight points to slam the door. The highlight of the run was Harding grabbing a rebound and accelerating downcourt for one of her one-woman fast breaks. The only suspense at the end was whether Tech would crack the 50 point mark. The Jackets managed to do it with under 30 seconds to go, and their 40% shooting for the game was the best mark a Duke opponent had managed all season. The outmatched Wilson & Ardossi combined for 17 points and 7 rebounds, and the Jackets continued to play hard to the end. As Joseph noted, however, that effort did not exceed Duke's. She said that while there have been more talented Duke squads, she wasn't sure if there'd been a better Duke team. In large part, this was because of their defense and effort. For her part, Coach G was pleased with her team's intensity against an athletic opponent. Their attack mindset was the key to the team's success. Coach G thought that the turnovers came from a lack of focus at times on offense--many of them were unforced. Everyone present was excited to play Maryland, and the consensus is that they're ready. Copyright © 2006 DWHOOPS.COM (Orin A. Day, Durham, NC, USA.) All Rights Reserved.