Game Recap
In a contest that
perhaps seemed closer than it really was, Duke defeated Florida State
73-60 in Tallahasse. With the victory, the Devils moved to 21-0, the best
start in school history, and improved their perfect ACC mark. While Duke
shot a respectable 42%, the key was defense - outrebounding the Seminoles
by 1 and holding Chante Williams scoreless from the field for the first 32
minutes were both outstanding accomplishments. But even with these, the
Devils were never quite able to blow FSU out, instead maintaining a 10-15
point margin for most of the second half.
Both teams started
the contest slow, with a flurry of turnovers, airballs, and off-target
passes. Alison Bales was the first bright spot offensively, scoring
Duke's initial points on a 15 foot jumper around the 17 minute mark, then
driving for Duke's second hoop. After the teams traded baskets to 6-6,
Lindsey Harding found Abby Waner open in front of the FSU bench - her
three put Duke in front, and Sue Semrau called a timeout with just under
14 minutes left.
Coach G wasn't happy in the huddle, and made a mass substitution - Emily
Waner, Brittany Mitch, Joy Cheek, and Keturah Jackson joined Alison Bales
and Carrem Gay in the lineup. Twenty seconds later, at the first media
timeout, Joy Cheek spelled Carrem, leaving Bales on the floor with three
reserves. Emily Waner hit from three, but Keturah Jackson was unable to
convert inside several times, and the starters returned at the 12 minute
mark.
When the Duke starters returned, things were a bit less sloppy than
before, with Nish delivering a beautiful pass in transition to Carrem for
a layup and a 16-10 Duke lead, then a three for Wanisha on the assist from
Harding. Back-to-back Abby Waner steals didn't lead to Duke points, but a
Waner to Waner fast break did, advantage 21-16 Devils.
Meanwhile, FSU
continued to have success only inside, scoring 100% of their first half
points on layups and free throws. The FSU bigs (I include Gladden here)
were close to double digits, but their guards didn't score. However, the
constant banging down under left the frontcourt players on both teams with
multiple fouls as well - and despite Bales absence FSU wasn't able to turn
that advantage into a lead or tie. Then, during the final minute, Duke
finally got some significant separation - a Carrem Gay layup and free
throws by Mitch and Harding yielded the 36-28 halftime margin.
Duke's defense
magnified FSU's woes in the opening segments of the second half - on the
rare occasions when the 'noles got a shot, they missed, and the lead grew
to 51-34. When FSU's guards started to hit, Brittany Mitch answered with
a three pointer. As a team, Duke converted 16 of 18 free throw attempts
in the second half while keeping FSU out of the bonus, thus preempting any
serious Seminole comeback hopes.
After the early
benchings, all five Duke starters finished in double figures. Alison and
Carrem each came close to a double-double, and the bench provided solid
minutes. If FSU had hit their open shots tonight, perhaps the results
would have been similar to the 2004 upset -- but instead the Devils return to
Durham tied for the ACC lead with a 3-0 road trip under their belts.
