Seminoles No Match For Duke, 70-38

Chante Black

Sue Semrau referred to Chante as "one of the best post players in the ACC" and a "force". This was a game that Chante needed to dominate, and she came out and did that in the early going. When Duke's shooters were misfiring, she blasted out with 10 quick points. Chante sometimes has a tendency to leave shots on the rim, but her focus was such that if she got near the basket, the shot was falling. That included a couple of hook shots over the 6-4 Monroe, who was overwhelmed by Black from the start. Black also dominated the boards, sent back a couple of shots when FSU's penetrators tried to take it to her, and had a couple of gorgeous touch passes for assists. Coach P noted that to become a great player, one must extend one's awareness beyond your own assignments and "empower the whole". This was a game where one could see Black start to do that, making lightning-quick decisions with the ball in addition to providing her usual steady presence at both ends. She did note that she didn't demand the ball in the second half the way she did in the first, getting just 3 attempts, but by that time it wasn't relevant to the outcome of the game. Black will need to have this kind of showing in College Park; she's always been hit-and-miss against the Terps, but Duke will need her to play at this level against them.

Joy Cheek

Joy had a tough game, due mostly to foul trouble. She picked up 4 fouls in just fourteen minutes of play, and that was partly due to being matched up against a quicker, smaller opponent. She did finish one pass in transition, sank some foul shots and had a nice block.

Wanisha Smith

After two quick assists, Nish had a nightmarish offensive game. Shots bounced off the side of the backboard, flip shots missed their mark, layups rimmed out and in general this was a game to forget. She was fine on defense, staying in front of Williams and Ward.

Abby Waner

The funny thing about Abby's game is that the shots she hit were the toughest ones she attempted all night: the reverse layup in traffic, and the drive in traffic where she shook off a defender with a nasty move. The shots she missed were all makable, including the threes she missed and the layups that rimmed out. She is still recovering from the flu, but this didn't prevent her from being active in other ways. She led the team with 4 assists, didn't turn the ball over, had several spectacular defensive plays (including breaking up a 2-on-1), and did a nice job settling down her team when they missed shots or turned the ball over. Three of her assists went into Black and another to Mitchell, and she had a couple of "hockey assists"--making the pass that set up the pass that was credited with the assist. Duke will certainly need her to provide a lot more offense against Maryland.

Jasmine Thomas

Jasmine had a quietly solid game. While her drought from three point land continued, she did sink three long jumpers and did it with confidence. She was active on the boards with 6, went freakishly high to block one shot and emphatically stuffed another. By the time she's done at Duke, she may well be the best shot-blocker for her height in school history. Jasmine also was physical in how she bodied up her opponents and absorbed contact when going for steals. I'm still waiting for another breakout offensive game, but Jasmine is clearly having an impact.

Carrem Gay

After a forgettable first half (0 points, 2 turnovers), Carrem stepped in for a foul-plagued Cheek and was dominant on defense. She had 7 steals in the second half. Some were outright strips, while others came when she played the passing lanes. She also took a charge and forced a jump ball, all while grabbing 7 rebounds and scoring all 5 of her points. It was the most active I've seen her play in some time; hopefully her shooting touch will return soon as well.

Krystal Thomas

Krystal had the widest swing of performance on the team tonight. On some plays, she used her strength, touch and will to dominate to great effect. When she overpowered an opponent in transition, when she scored inside, and when she moved nicely without the ball to score a third time, Thomas looked like an unstoppable force. Defensively, she was often even better--during her first shift in the first half, FSU threw up uncomfortable, high-arching shots in an effort to avoid her outstretched arms. She didn't get the blocks, but there's no question that she caused those misses. On the other hand, Krystal wasn't always ready to receive the ball, sometimes brought the ball down, and missed several easy opportunities. She was also a dreadful 0-3 from the foul line. Thomas simply needs more playing time and the opportunity to get comfortable with her teammates again. One interesting and surprisingly chippy play came when she cleared a rebound and had had enough of Cayla Moore in her face, swinging an elbow to create some room. Dee Kantner let her know that she wouldn't tolerate that again, but it was good to see Krystal play with aggression. There's no question that she has the potential to be a highly important player against Maryland, and she can't be passive with the ball or she'll have it ripped out of her hands.

Karima Christmas

Christmas just makes plays. In the first half, she alertly picked up a loose ball and scored when the margin was still tight. That stint was surprisingly brief; I think she may have blown a defensive assignment, which sent her to the bench. In the second half, she scored on a hook, a steal & runout, and a stickback. She also had an assist to Thomas and picked up 4 steals & 5 rebounds, all in just thirteen minutes of playing time. Christmas may make mistakes, but her intensity never wanes in a game. She also epitomized what Coach P refers to as "hustle offense", scores created off of steals, loose balls, stickbacks, etc. That's pretty much the entirety of her offensive game at the moment, but such a player can really raise the energy level of an entire team.

Keturah Jackson

Everyone was concerned when KJ went down, but it was good to see her play another four minutes in the second half. In the first half, she hit a key shot off the dribble that pushed Duke's lead to 10 for the first time. While she had a couple of steals, her biggest contribution was shadowing Shante Williams. She was quick enough to stay in front of her, tall enough to prevent Williams from shooting over her, and strong enough to prevent Williams from pushing by her. Williams struggled to get anything going, and her teammates clearly were affected by her frustration.

Bridgette Mitchell

Bridgette was just doing Bridgette things: getting stickbacks, finding offensive rebounds, attacking the basket and using her speed to blow past opponents. On top of all that, she did a nice job moving the ball around: she had assists to Gay, K.Thomas and E.Waner. Considering that she was out of the main rotation, this game was quite a statement for her. To trot out an old cliche, she played within herself and didn't force shots or drives. Mitchell has had outbursts like this before; the question is, can she sustain this effort and make a real push to get back into the rotation?

Emily Waner

Emily got a bit of playing time at the end of the first half when Jasmine went out with her second foul, and then played much more extensively in the second half. That three she hit pushed Duke to 70 points, and of course extended that three point streak.

Brittany Mitch

Brittany has a minor injury and was out for this game.