Devils Smother Spartans, 84-39

Chante Black

Chante had a business-like game. She made herself available in the early going, scoring 5 of her team's first 8 points. While she missed some close-in shots, she also sank a couple of long jumpers and had a pretty reverse to start the second half. Knowing that she had Krystal Thomas to relieve her, her mindset was to "attack at all times". She did two important things in this game: first, she displayed that she's learning how to avoid foul trouble by backing off on certain plays. Second, she got to the foul line 8 times and cashed in on 7 of them, with a smooth, confident stroke. We have yet to see her demonstrate her explosiveness this season, in terms of really going high for rebounds or baskets. While I wouldn't say she's earthbound, she looks a bit more mortal in terms of her leaping. That will come as she continues to round into shape.

Carrem Gay

Carrem was having some turnover trouble and got subbed out for quite a bit in the first half, then mostly sat in the second half as the bench went to work. Still, she displayed her trademark quickness, grabbing 7 boards in just fifteen minutes and coming up with 5 steals. Like many of her teammates, Gay didn't hesitate to dive after loose balls. She forced a couple of jump balls by herself thanks to that defensive tenacity. Her only basket was a short jumper.

Bridgette Mitchell

Bridgette got her first start and looked more comfortable than I can remember seeing her in quite some time. Her only points came on her first shot of the game, a nice-looking three in the corner. Of course, scoring isn't the only way a player can alter a game. Mitchell did a nice job getting a couple of crucial rebounds, found Waner for a three and Mitch on a runout, and came up with some timely threes. She didn't force shots, turn the ball over or get out of position on defense. Bridgette looked very comfortable on the wing, and in fact could have taken a couple of more open shots. This was easily her most complete performance of the young season.

Keturah Jackson

KJ did not seem comfortable in this game and seemed to be trying a bit too hard. She missed open shots, passed up some shots only to try a harder one, and had a couple of bad passes. She did relax down the stretch, finishing a fast break on a pass from Cheek and finding Thomas inside with a nice entry pass. There was plenty of hustle and energy, but it didn't seem to be quite focused enough.

Brittany Mitch

Mitch struggled at the beginning of the game to run the offense. After an opening pass for a three to Mitchell, Brittany looked hesitant handling the ball and passed up a number of open looks. When she did shoot, she hesitated before she put it up. On offense, she was just thinking too hard. Defensively, she was a monster. Her seven steals ranged from her just stepping in front of bad passes to outright ripping the ball out of her opponent's hands, to getting down on the floor and rooting around for loose balls. The burst she had at the end of the first half lifted the team's spirits and was a big part of how Duke put UNC-G away for good. In addition to an assist on a pass to Waner, she came up with back-to-back steals at midcourt. I loved that she was aggressive at a time of the game when many players are just waiting for halftime to come, and I loved that she was rewarded for her aggressiveness with points. She kept up her solid play in the second half, driving to the basket for a score, getting another steal & runout and even hitting her first three of the game. In general, Mitch took good care of the ball and was aggressive in exploiting her size advantage. Hopefully, she can use this experience to continue to grow her confidence on offense.

Jasmine Thomas

Jasmine really did not shoot that well, airballing most of her threes. That said, it's easy to overlook her mistakes because she brings so much to the table. Her simple lightning quickness is remarkable to behold; there was one play where she had a steal and blew past two fairly quick opponents dribbling the ball. That kind of acceleration with the ball is rare in basketball. She may also be the team's top hustle player, digging in for loose balls and forcing jump balls. Jasmine did sink a catch-and-shoot 19' jumper as well as a 10' jumper off a steal, in addition to a floater in the lane. Jasmine did throw some bad passes (which landed her back on the bench), but she never let it affect her confidence or aggressiveness. Simply put, she makes things happen on the floor, and most of those things are good. I'd like to see her get more extended minutes running the first team, because I think she absorbs lessons every time she's on the floor.

Emily Waner

This was easily the best game of the season for Emily, who was given ample opportunity to run the team. The result was a sterling 7-assist, 3-turnover day, with a couple of threes thrown in for good measure. Waner was especially clever when inbounding the ball under the basket, finding Black and K.Thomas for scores in such situations. There was another play where she drove, drew the defender up toward her, and then bounced it perfectly to Black for an easy basket. She seemed much more assured shooting threes, releasing her shots with more snap.

Joy Cheek

Joy continues to play with remarkable efficiency despite taking a number of jumpers. Indeed, that's become a formidable weapon for her, given how hard it is to guard. She sank one shot off a pull-up and nailed a long-range three. Of course, she is a post and punished UNC-G with her power, getting 2 stickbacks and finishing a post-up. Cheek also shared the ball well, passing out of the post to Black for a jumper and finding Jackson in transition. About the only problem she had was foul trouble, though she certainly made her fouls count with some bone-crunching swats.

Krystal Thomas

Krystal kept things simple and wound up with monster numbers as a result. In the first half, she scored 8 points on stickbacks and had a three-point play by finishing a nice inbounds pass. In the second half, she posted up strong twice for scores, put the ball on the deck for another and stuck back another attempt. She did miss a number of shots, but usually simply just got the ball back and tried again. Thomas also had some statement-making blocks and alertly grabbed several errant passes for steals. She did travel a few times but cleaned that up as the game progressed. In short, she faced a smaller team and punished them with her size, and stayed out of foul trouble while doing it. This kind of breakout offensive performance can definitely do a lot to encourage a player's confidence, and I think she needed this kind of game going into the Paradise Jam. I'd also like to see her paired up a bit more often with Black; that duo played together a bit in this game and it seemed to work well. It's tough not to have the deft perimeter touch of Gay or Cheek in the game, however, but against a team with real size this could be an important combination.

Karima Christmas

As always, Karima was pure hustle and aggressiveness. She only made a cameo appearance in the first half, immediately committing a foul. In the second half, she finished a pass from J.Thomas, found Cheek for a three, had a nasty block and got fouled attacking the basket. She also dove on the floor to produce two jump balls. Christmas was also the only Duke player without a turnover. This is another player I'd like to see move up in the rotation, just to see what she can do with the regulars. Even in that first-half cameo, her presence seemed to help spark the team, and she was quite effective in the second half.

Abby Waner

Abby still had the "boot" on her injured ankle, a high ankle sprain. Her status is still officially day-to-day, so if and how long she plays against Purdue on Thursday is uncertain.

Wanisha Smith

Wanisha's official diagnosis is the break of a very small bone in her right wrist, which was taped for this game. The bone is quick to heal, but the only way this will happen is rest - especially as she is right handed. She's also listed as day-to-day for the Paradise Jam tourney.