Krystal Thomas

Krystal looked comfortable back in the starting lineup, and it's a good thing she did, as VT's Brittany Gordon was ready to score. Krystal announced her presence by draining an 18' jumper early in the game and later scored on a high-low in the first half. She did commit an offensive foul going to the hoop, but it was heartening to see her so aggressive in looking for her shot. Coach McCallie rewarded her hard work by keeping her in the game late, and Krystal responded by scoring 8 points and dishing out 2 assists. Coach P said that she wanted Krystal to get some "consecutive minutes", and playing with the deep reserves meant that their job was to get her the ball. Gordon also stayed in the game, giving Krystal a worthy opponent to play against. McCallie preached consistency in the press conference, something that a number of Duke's players have struggled with this year. A consistently aggressive and efficient Krystal Thomas (along with a team that looked to get her good shots) would go a long way in making Duke competitive against anyone.

Joy Cheek

Joy couldn't get any shots to drop in the early going, missing several great-looking attempts going to the basket. She was still working hard and playing good defense (she was responsible for guarding Drye much of the time), but it was that basket late in the first half that really seemed to get her going. In the second half, she was looking to pass (and pass well) more than I'd seen in quite some time. She posted up and found KJ on a give-and-go after hitting K.Thomas on a high-low in the first half. She sank a three and then spotted up for a couple of short jumpers, finishing the night with a nicely stuffed stat sheet.

Bridgette Mitchell

B was one of many players who struggled in the first half, missing all 4 of her shots and coughing the ball up twice. She was her usual whirling dervish self on defense, blocking a shot decisively and digging out a couple of steals. Getting to the line in the first half was important to the team as they had gone through a particularly tough stretch, and she nailed both shots. She was much more efficient in the second half, scoring on a cut and runout and getting assists to K.Thomas and Joy Cheek. Not a vintage performance, but it certainly wasn't for a lack of energy and it was one that improved as the game went on.

Keturah Jackson

KJ was important in the early going for Duke as she found each Thomas for an early score and drove for a basket of her own. She harassed Lindsay Biggs into a rough shooting half, went to the boards (one of 9 Devils with at least 3 rebounds), blocked a shot and generated a couple of steals. It was the ideal game for KJ: one in which she stuffed the stat sheet but didn't have to generate much offense of her own or make a lot of decisions on offense.

Jasmine Thomas

Jaz hit her first couple of shots and then went into the tank for the rest of the first half, missing 8 shots (mostly layups) until she scored on a runout. Jaz seemed just a little out of sync, turning the ball over 3 times on bad passes and bobbled balls. She regained her focus in the second half, draining a couple of threes and scoring on another runout, all while menacing VT with her ballhawking (6 steals, 2 shy of her career high).

Karima Christmas

Karima, going back to the bench after five straight starts, was a big spark in the first half with a stickback and drive during Duke scoring droughts, along with a couple of steals. She continued to play outstanding defense in the second half, including digging out a steal. Karima didn't look for her offense, taking only one shot in the half. Her hand injury has to have an impact on her shooting, which at times has been brilliant this season and at other times highly erratic.

Shay Selby

This was an interesting game for Shay, who didn't take a single shot but still made an impact. She came in off the bench with Karima and acted as a connector: she didn't get assists, but made passes that led to assists. Selby also proved her toughness on the boards, digging out 3 first-half rebounds and 5 for the game. She also had a beautiful touch pass to Mitchell for a score.

Allison Vernerey

Allison was frustrated with herself in the first half as she missed all 5 of her shots, turned the ball over once and only grabbed 2 rebounds. The second half was a different story, as she got better looks at the basket (a hook shot from the left block and a high-low finish) and even hit a little runner. She also picked off a pass and was a bit more active on the boards.

Alexis Rogers

Lexi came into the game in the first half but didn't make an impact. In the second half, she missed a couple of shots but was quite active, grabbing a board and setting K.Thomas up nicely with a lead pass.

Kathleen Scheer

Kathleen came in a bit earlier than usual as Coach P was looking for a spark from the bench in the first half. She did not play well, getting beaten by Biggs for a shot and taking a bad shot herself. In the second half, she was much more active, draining a three, getting a stickback and digging in for a steal. Like the other deep bench players, getting extended and consecutive minutes seemed to be good for her confidence.

Chelsea Hopkins

Chelsea played nine minutes, all in the second half. She did a solid job in this game, driving to the basket and getting fouled as well as finding Scheer for a three and K.Thomas for a left-handed hook. She did well to make the most of her minutes, looking comfortable running the team.