The Nutshell by Rob CloughThe Duke-FSU game was remarkable for its offensive futility. On Duke's side,
the starting backcourt of Abby Waner, Wanisha Smith and Jasmine Thomas combined
for 5-29 shooting from the floor and 0-10 from three. Duke shot just 9-19 from
the foul line for 47%. Compared to FSU, however, these numbers sparkled. The
Seminoles' starting backcourt of Mara Freshour, Courtney Ward and Shante
Williams combined for a startling 3-31 from the floor, 1-9 from three and 5-13
from the foul line. It was FSU's worst offensive showing since 1997 and flew
in the face of their numbers to date this year. Indeed, FSU was averaging 73
ppg coming into this game, shooting 45% from the floor and 37% from three. The
turning point came
when the Seminoles pulled within 16-11 and Duke went to its press. While the
Devils weren't exactly always efficient when they forced turnovers (24 points
from 25 turnovers caused), the fact that they pushed tempo wore out FSU's very
short bench. A 15-3 run by Duke in the last six minutes of the first half,
along with a dominant showing by Chante Black, put the game out of reach.
While Duke's defense was stellar and its bench played with a lot of intensity,
FSU left a lot of points at the foul line, especially in the first half. The
game was a lot closer than the score indicated, but Duke to its credit played
hard the entire time.
Publication Notes: All articles and photos have been published.
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