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The 2nd Half
Ress came out on
fire in the second half, scoring twice and getting a steal from Harding.
Harding, clearly frustrated with her own play, stepped up with a steal
that triggered a Smith-to-Waner fast break. That started a 9-0 run over
five minutes that pretty much salted the game away. The Eagles were
turning the ball over and couldn't get anything to drop as Bales
drop-stepped in for a three point play over Kaydia Kentish. Kentish was
in for Ress, who had picked up her 4th foul, and Ali made sure to take
advantage of the smaller & weaker player for a score. Mitchell then came
in and stuck back a Gay miss on a possession that featured 3 cracks at the
basket for Duke.
Ayla Brown got a three point play against Mitchell, who was a step late
on defense. Smith countered that with a three set up by E.Waner. A 7-2
run by Duke gave them a 65-38 lead, and it featured a short jumper by Gay,
a three by Mitch, and yet another Mitchell stickback. Anytime she was
even near the basket would be a sure 2 points for the Devils. Bales sank
a turnaround jumper with under seven minutes to go to make it 67-41. The
Eagles scored 6 straight points as Duke had a turnover and couldn't get a
good shot. While the game wasn't really in doubt, the Eagles were trying
to make it interesting. They had the ball at 67-47, but Bales blocked
Ress (photo) and Joy Cheek blocked Brown and grabbed the rebound.
Harding
raced down court to pop a 10' jumper in transition with under four minutes left,
and that ended any slight suspense that might have still remained.
Mitchell would score once more, on a ridiculous bank shot, but it was
otherwise all over.
Duke wound up with 18 turnovers, and BC actually had a 9-7 advantage in
points off turnovers in the second half. While Duke's shooting plummetted
in the second half (34%), the 11 offensive boards they picked up helped
soften that blow. Once Pickel was assigned to Harding, she scored just 2
points the rest of the way. Ress was a tough matchup for Duke and she
fared slightly better in the stats than Ali, but the battle overall was
close to a draw. Overall, Duke will now gear up for their last two games
of the season against true heavy-hitters. One more win guarantees Duke at
least a tie for first place in the ACC, but every game from here on out is
pretty much about seeding and location. Duke has complete control over
their own fate, because all they have to do is keep winning to get the
seed & spot that they want.
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