Alison Bales   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 13 15 3-3 0-0 9-9 2 2-2-4 2 2 0 0 TOT 22 21 4-6 0-0 13-13 4 4-4-8 3 2 0 0   In the first half, Ali's line was nothing short of astonishing: perfect from the floor, perfect from the line and all sorts of hustle stats. It was a case of Duke having an overwhelming advantage in one area and exploiting it mercilessly. The Devils were able to find all sorts of gaps in Clemson's zone, and Ali's size made her an easy target. Most of her points came from the foul line, but it was her early aggressive moves to the hoop that bought her the respect needed to draw attention from multiple defenders. She had assists inside to Gay & Jackson and outside to A.Waner and Harding for three. Clemson's centers combined for just 6 points, 4 rebounds, 6 fouls and 3 turnovers against Bales. Ali will face much stiffer competition against the Heels, especially against personal nemesis Erlana Larkins. Alison passed Michele Van Gorp and moved into 25th place on Duke's all-time scoring list in this contest. Carrem Gay   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 11 6 3-5 0-0 0-0 2 1-1-2 2 2 0 0 TOT 20 18 8-10 0-0 2-2 0 2-3-5 0 1 1 0   This was a great bounceback game for Carrem, who looked looser and happier on the floor than I've seen her in quite some time. It helped that she wasn't going up against an athletic & long forward who specialized in offensive rebounding for once, because those tough matchups have done a lot to demoralize her a bit. In this game, she had to focus in on Lloyd, and Carrem did a great job on her in the second half in particular. Carrem started to warm up late in the first half with an aggressive drive for a score and a finish from A.Waner. She led all scorers with 12 points in the second half, sinking all 5 shots and hitting a couple of free throws. They were simple shots, attained simply by moving well without the ball and being ready to accept great passes. Carrem hasn't been in a position to get these kinds of looks of late, so she seemed like she was having a fun time being on the receiving end. She'll face the biggest game of her career to date against UNC, going up against Camille Little & Erlana Larkins. A big game for Gay could spell the difference between victory and defeat. Wanisha Smith   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 12 2 1-5 0-1 0-0 2 1-1-2 0 0 0 0 TOT 19 13 4-11 0-4 5-5 1 3-1-4 0 0 1 2   Like Carrem, Nish saved her best for the second half. She started the half with 2 quick jumpers and an assist, and followed that up with a bunch of free throws and a three point play. She missed all 4 of her threes and didn't have a huge day as a distributor, but she helped keep Lele Hardy in check (3-9 from the floor). Nish also took a charge and ran down 3 offensive rebounds; she was one of 7 Duke players with multiple offensive boards. Abby Waner   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 16 11 4-7 3-5 0-0 1 0-2-2 0 1 1 0 TOT 25 16 6-10 4-7 0-0 2 0-6-6 0 1 1 1   This was a fine all-around game for Abby, who drained 4 threes (tying Alana Beard for 10th all-time in Duke history). An interesting wrinkle in Duke's strategy of late has been to keep Abby back after opponents miss shots so as to give Duke an extre rebounder. It's prevented her from leaking out as much as she would want to get easy transition points, but it's also helped shore up Duke's rebounding overall. Abby also jump-started a couple of breaks and dove on the ground for loose balls. Taylor had a tough time dealing with Abby's aggressiveness. Lindsey Harding   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 17 5 2-3 1-2 0-0 6 0-1-1 1 1 1 1 TOT 25 5 2-6 1-2 0-0 6 0-3-3 1 1 2 1   This was a quiet game offensive for Lindsey, with just 5 points coming during a crucial first-half stretch. This is when Duke was just holding Clemson at arm's length, but the Tigers were starting to come on strong. With others getting the points, Lindsey was content to direct traffic and create for others. This included triggering a break after a Bales block, finding Brit & Abby for threes and Mitchell inside on a cut. It was good for her to get rest with Latta & Co. up next. Emily Waner   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 5 3 1-3 1-3 0-0 0 0-0-0 1 0 0 1 TOT 18 8 3-8 1-5 1-2 4 1-1-2 1 1 0 3   Em nailed a three in the first half and was later serenaded by the students with "Happy Birthday." Her play in the second half was exactly what I was hoping for from her in this game. She was aggressive, finding other ways to score when her long-range bombs weren't dropping. She created for others, finding Bales for a jumper, Mitch on a cut and Cheek for a jumper. What I really liked was that she didn't just settle for the three: she attacked the basket and got fouled, scored on a separate drive and also took a dribble and sank an 18' jumper. Em even had a block! When she's aggressive with the ball, she becomes a much more effective player. After a few games' worth of tentative play, it was nice to see her cut loose in this contest. Joy Cheek   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 9 4 1-2 0-0 2-3 0 0-1-1 0 0 1 0 TOT 20 8 3-6 0-0 2-3 1 2-1-3 0 2 2 2   Joy missed a few shots inside, but skillfully sank 3 long jumpers. It's not like she was fading away from contact--she through her power around inside, getting to the foul line and clearing space for others. Joy also had a slick pass to Gay for a bakset, emphasizing just how sharp her court vision can be. She did cough up the ball a couple of times, but made up for it with her overall hustle. In addition to picking up a couple of steals, Joy also forced a jump ball. Duke will need her to play significant minutes against UNC, so it'll be interesting to see if she's ready. Brittany Mitch   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 10 3 1-2 1-2 0-0 2 0-0-0 0 1 0 1 TOT 23 9 4-5 1-2 0-3 6 3-1-4 0 1 2 1   This was one of the best games of Brit's career, all told. She nailed a three in the first half, with a perfect follow-through on that great form of hers. She was superb distributing and scoring in the second half, getting her points in transition or off the dribble. She had assists off of rebounds to A.Waner, Smith and Gay. Brit also hit Gay on a cut and in transition, and passed to Cheek for a jumper. Mitch also closed nicely on traps, though she did let her opponent get in front of her a bit too often. That's in fact what happened with the first half buzzer-beater: Brittany never got in front of Brown and let her take an open shot. Overall, this was a huge confidence booster for her against a quick opponent. Bridgette Mitchell   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 7 5 2-2 0-0 1-2 1 1-2-3 0 0 0 0 TOT 18 5 2-6 0-0 1-3 2 5-4-9 0 1 0 1   Cheek and E.Waner entered the game together. Bridgette came into the game a few minutes further in. She had an immediate stickback, one of her 5 offensive rebounds on the night. Bridgette did have a lot of trouble finishing shots inside (just 2-6), but made up for it by getting more opportunities for others with her constant hustle. That hustle helped her find Smith for a three point play after she grabbed a rebound, and her improved feel for the game made it easy for her to spot E.Waner for a big three. Her ability to go after boards is so important that I'm guessing she could get major minutes against the Heels if her defense & decision-making continue to operate at a level as high as in this game. Keturah Jackson   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st DNP TOT 10 2 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 2-2-4 0 2 1 0   It's been a few games since KJ got any real playing time, but she showed that she was ready. Above all else, it was her hustle plays that impressed me. She forced 2 jump balls, dove for steals, attacked the boards and even scored on a cut. After a few lethargic showings in recent games when she did get off the bench, it was nice to see her return to her early-season, enthusiastic form. Clemson   PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 32 14-31 2-6 2-4 8 8-9-17 1 3 11 11 TOT 53 22-55 4-15 5-10 15 8-15-23 3 6 20 22 Duke   PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 54 18-32 6-13 12-14 12 6-10-16 4 5 3 3 TOT 105 37-71 7-20 24-31 26 24-27-51 5 12 10 11 Click below to view 150+ Photos of this game Copyright © 2007 DWHOOPS.COM (Orin A. Day, Durham, NC, USA.) All Rights Reserved.