The 2nd Half
Wanisha Smith started off the second half with a bang, nailing 2 quick
jumpers and hitting Gay inside for a score. That was part of an 8-2 run
that broke the game open for Duke. Coach G started to get the bench back
into the game quickly, with Mitch starting to show off the full range of
her skills. She dished to Gay in transition and then attacked the basket
for a score of her own to make it 66-37.
It was Emily
Waner's time to shine, and the birthday girl went to the foul line for
1 shot, dished to Bales for a 15' jumper and hit a cutting Mitch for a
three point play. Brit missed the foul shot, but Em got the offensive
board and Brit passed to Carrem inside to finish off a 7-0 run.
It was all downhill from there for Clemson. Duke was just too much for
them, getting held balls, grabbing steals and pounding them on the
boards.
The last seven minutes were especially ugly, as the Tigers just stopped
trying at both ends, hoping the game would just end. Duke ended the game
on an 18-2 run, with the starters playing a total of just 42 minutes in
the half. Everyone contributed in some way, helping Duke to an amazing
35-6 edge on the boards. For the game, Duke had more offensive rebounds
(24) than Clemson had total rebounds (23). If Duke had not scored a
single point in the second half, they still would have won the game. The
final numbers would be ugly: a 28-6 edge in points off turnovers, 16-4 in
fast break points, 29-6 in second half points. Clemson didn't have a
single offensive rebound in the second half.
Clemson Head Coach Cristy McKinney said that her team was "killed and
embarrassed" because that's what happen if you just "lay down and die".
I think the key here was something she said later, that her team hung
their heads after a few mistakes and never picked them back up. This is
the mark of a young team--moving on to Next Play is very difficult for
young players, and the Tigers weren't ready to do it here. This program
has a future under McKinney, and beatings like this are the foundation for
future improvement.
As for Coach G, while she noted that playing at a high intensity level for
every game is unrealistic, she was happy to see them getting "back to Duke
basketball and the style that we like to play." Hopefully this game will
keep the team loose, as they have the ultimate (regular season) challenge
ahead of them on Thursday in Chapel Hill.
