Alison Bales   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 17 4 2-3 0-0 0-0 2 0-4-4 4 2 2 0 TOT 27 9 4-7 0-0 1-1 2 0-5-5 6 3 2 0   Ali struggled offensively against the tough Ress, who never yielded an inch. She certainly had her hands filled defensively against her, and Ress wound up as one of the few players who played Bales to a standstill. Ress had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 assists, but had to create a lot on her own. She tried everything: drives, post-ups, jumpers and more, but Bales stood her ground and forced her to shoot 7-18. With Ress pushing her around a litle and not allowing Ali to set up on the low block, Bales took her game outside and sank 2 long jumpers. In the second half, she returned to the post and scored on a dropstep and a turnaround jumper inside. Despite her usual stellar defensive play, this was not her best game on offense, and she'll have to really bring it in Duke's next two games. Carrem Gay   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 11 8 4-8 0-0 0-0 1 1-1-2 0 1 1 0 TOT 23 10 5-10 0-0 0-0 1 3-3-6 1 2 1 0   After a mediocre effort against Wake, Carrem came out breathing fire in this game. She was involved in 4 of Duke's first 6 scores, either getting a stickback, a steal & runout, or a pass inside. Later in the half she nailed a long jumper. Gay hit a 10' jumper in the second half and rebounded well. Her defense throughout the game was quite solid. In general, Carrem seemed a lot more sure of herself attacking the basket than in recent games, even against the huge Ress. Gay also forced a couple of held balls and took a charge from Ress. Wanisha Smith   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 14 10 4-4 1-1 1-2 5 1-1-2 0 0 0 0 TOT 24 13 5-7 2-3 1-2 7 1-1-2 0 0 0 0   Nish was nothing short of brilliant in this game. When Lindsey was having a bit of trouble, Smith directed traffic, pushed tempo and got others involved. Early in the game, she was Duke's best target, scoring in transition and hitting a three. Then she dished out 3 assists (to Waner twice for threes and to Harding) and had a 3 point play in transition. Seeing that Mitchell was obviously having a great half, Nish fed her twice down the stretch. In the second half, she set up the fast break that broke a little drought for the Devils and later nailed a three. Smith has been quite confident the past few games and it shows. More than being willing to take more open shots, Smith has a great knack for understanding when to look for her own offense and when to create for others. She noted that her experience as a point guard in her frosh season makes taking over there easy for her. What's remarkable now is her game-to-game consistency, especially at the scoring end. One suspects that Maryland will try to make her beat them, so we'll see if she's ready for that challenge. Abby Waner   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 16 6 2-5 2-4 0-0 2 1-5-6 0 1 2 1 TOT 25 9 3-10 2-8 1-2 3 1-8-9 0 1 3 2   Abby's a bit under the weather right now, and it showed in her concentration level at times, but never in her effort. She stayed back after BC misses and got a career-high 9 rebounds. She nailed 2 threes in the first half but only managed a single fast break basket after that. Those shots in the first half put Duke up big and forced BC to abandon their zone for a while. Abby also did a nice job sharing the ball, getting baskets for Smith and Mitch. Her turnovers seemed to be momentary lapses of focus, and these seemed to be clear times when her head seemed to be a bit foggy and she didn't possess her usual headiness on the floor. Hopefully she'll be ready for Maryland, because Duke will need her ability to penetrate. Lindsey Harding   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 16 2 1-6 0-0 0-0 3 0-1-1 0 0 3 0 TOT 26 5 2-8 0-1 1-2 3 1-2-3 0 1 5 0   This was not exactly a highlight-reel game for Lindsey. She forced bad passes, took questionable shots and overall like totally out of synch. This was odd because she started off the game on a roll, but grew frequently upset with herself as she continued to make careless mistakes. Her best shot was a 10' jumper that iced the game in the second half; her ability to hit that particular shot in the face of difficulties or past misses is a tribute to her mental toughness. It was also good to see her team rally around her and make plays when she was having trouble--it's a sign of how far the team has come this year. Joy Cheek   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 3 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0-0 0 0 1 0 TOT 13 0 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 1-1-2 2 0 1 2   Joy didn't get many minutes in the first half as Mitchell was so overwhelmingly effective, and didn't do much to impressive on the offensive end. She did have a key second-half block, but it was obvious that she wasn't as comfortable on the court tonight as she has been against more physical clubs. BC usually had 3 or 4 guards or wing-type players in there at most times, leaving Joy to deal with either Ress or a wing that tried to take Joy outside. Bridgette Mitchell   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 10 14 7-8 0-0 0-0 1 4-1-5 0 1 0 1 TOT 19 20 10-13 0-0 0-0 1 7-3-10 2 1 2 4   This was obviously "B's" best game of her career. She was everywhere at both ends of the floor, to the point where even her own teammates looked stuck in the mud at times. If there was a loose ball, Mitchell came up with it. If she was near the basket, she was attacking it strongly. If she had a chance to score, her touch was perfect. If a ball was thrown in her general vicinity, she would catch it. At one point, as she was on the floor battling 3 Eagles for a rebound, Coach G was saying on the bench, "why is no one helping her?" Mitchell's second half was not quite as sublime as the first, with 3 fouls & 2 turnovers, but she had some key stickbacks and played with a lot of effort on defense. Her focus isn't quite as finely tuned as one would like for an entire game, but she's certainly getting there. If she continues to play with this combination of aggressiveness and perceptiveness, Mitchell will be a lethal weapon off the bench for Duke in the postseason. Emily Waner   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 5 0 0-2 0-1 0-0 1 0-0-0 0 0 0 0 TOT 14 0 0-5 0-3 0-0 2 1-1-2 0 1 2 0   Em's been in a bit of a shooting slump, one that she didn't break out of here. At times a bit careless with the ball, she also had a nice lob pass to Mitchell for a score and a skip to Smith for a three. She could really use a breakout shooting game--perhaps she'll get some open looks against Maryland. Brittany Mitch   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 8 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 1 1-2-3 0 0 0 0 TOT 22 5 2-5 1-3 0-0 1 1-3-4 0 1 0 2   As I noted elsewhere in the report, this was a solid, mature game for Brit. She's much more comfortable handling the ball now against pressure, while her court vision was always sharp. Her assist to Mitchell got Bridgette going in this game. Brit also played fine defense, forcing turnovers and moving her feet decently. Mitch finished a fast break, drained a three and even grabbed a few boards. Her play was aggressive but not reckless, which is just the sort of balance that Coach G desires. Keturah Jackson   MIN PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st DNP TOT 7 2 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0-0-0 0 0 2 1   KJ entered the game with over ten minutes to go, and seemed to fall prey to a bit of the sloppiness that was so prevalent. She had a couple of bad passes and a silly foul, though she did make up for it with a strong drive to the hoop in traffic for a score. B.C.   PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 27 10-32 3-6 4-4 6 5-9-14 2 5 9 5 TOT 52 19-60 4-12 10-12 10 12-20-32 4 11 20 11 Duke   PTS FG 3FG FT A O-D-REB BLK STL TO PF 1st 46 21-37 3-6 1-2 16 8-16-24 4 5 8 3 TOT 73 32-69 5-18 4-7 20 19-28-47 11 10 18 11 141 Photos! Copyright © 2007 DWHOOPS.COM (Orin A. Day, Durham, NC, USA.) All Rights Reserved.