Krystal Thomas

Krystal made a few key defensive plays in the first half with a steal and rebound, but seemed unprepared to make an impact on the offensive end. Benching her to start the second half sent a message, because she came back into the game on a mission. She started dominating the boards (after being beaten to the spot several times in the first half), played fine defense, and scored on a post-up, a stickback and in transition. More impressively, she wore down Virginia's front line with six trips to the line. When Virginia's posts were getting tired and getting in foul trouble, Krystal got stronger and stronger.

Joy Cheek

Joy scored Duke's first 5 points, and they were crucial because the Hoos rang up 10 quick points. The threes she hit late in the first half and early in the second half were haymakers, crushing Virginia's spirit a bit. Just as impressive was a post-up she had on Chelsea Shine, backing the thinner player down, nudging her out of the way and opening up room to score. Joy got some tough defensive rebounds, blocked a couple of shots and made few mistakes. She did pick up 4 fouls, but they weren't the reach-in variety that had plagued her this year. With this high-energy but efficient game to match her last effort, it can be said that Joy is truly playing like a senior.

Bridgette Mitchell

Bridgette had 4 quick points in the first half after UVa had opened up a 12-7 lead. Her energy was infectious and soon brought Duke roaring back. She also had a steal & layup in the half that gave Duke its first 8 point lead. The play where she zipped a pass into J.Thomas for a fast break layup was one of the prettiest plays of the year for the Devils. Her finish after a KJ block in the second half helped establish that Duke meant business and wanted to put their foe away. Her entry passes to Vernerey were excellent, getting the ball to her in perfect scoring position. This was a largely mistake-free game for Mitchell that sacrificed none of her energy.

Keturah Jackson

KJ hit a couple of important shots early in the game when Duke really needed the points but struggled otherwise on offense. Some shots just barely rimmed out and others were ill-advised, but she also turned the ball over due to carelessness. Still, she played tremendous defense, with her block on Wright being a career highlight, one that sparked Duke in the second half.

Jasmine Thomas

The first half was a rough one for Jasmine as Wright hounded her into 2-10 shooting and 3 turnovers. In fact, she was held scoreless until the last five minutes of the half. Her three was a turning point in the game as it put Duke up by two possessions, and Virginia had to constantly feel the pressure of having to answer shots after that. Her steal and subsequent finish a few minutes later was a spectacular play, highlighting her excellent off-the-ball defense. Jasmine got things going in the second half as a playmaker (she was held to just 1 assist in the first half), finding Vernerey and Cheek for quick first-half baskets. Her 2 treys and another dime to Vernerey pushed Duke's lead up to 15. When Virginia made a little move with ten minutes left, she took over, nailing a jumper and finding Vernerey & Cheek in the post. In the last five minutes of the game, she removed all doubt with a three point play. Jasmine was rewarded after the game with a ball commemorating her 1000th career point, achieved against Maryland on Sunday. Jasmine may not be ACC player of the year, but she showed the impact she can have on a game up against the best player in the league. Wright couldn't stop her in the second half and neither could any other Hoo. An underrated aspect of this game was Jasmine's defense on secondary Virginia scorer Ariana Moorer. Moorer's had some big games lately, but Jasmine held her to 2 points on 1-6 shooting.

Allison Vernerey

Virginia initially held its own defensively against Duke, neutralizing J.Thomas and doing enough to keep the bigger K.Thomas and Cheek from dominating. Then Vernerey came in, and she was clearly a nightmare matchup for Virginia. Their biggest players were too slow to guard her, and their quick players gave up too much size. They didn't possess the strength to force her out of her comfort zone, and the result was a stunning 8-8 night to go with 5 rebounds and a couple of blocks. She dropped a couple of good passes here and there, but she never stopped hustling and was always demanding the ball. It was especially nice to see Vernerey finish with contact.

Karima Christmas

Karima hit the three that put Duke back on top in the first half and helped loosen up Virginia's zone. She also drove hard and got to the line. In the second half, she had a stickback, and a steal & layup, along with a fast break pass to K.Thomas. She tried everything in her power to slow down Wright but was tagged for some tough fouls. Karima did make sure to never make it easy for Wright, who scored a lot of points but rarely had easy shots. Karima's energy and confidence were both high, as evidenced by her forcing a job ball and grabbing 3 offensive boards.

Shay Selby

Shay had a couple of key assists in the first half, driving and dishing to Cheek and J.Thomas for threes. She also had the ball slapped away a couple of times. She was quite deferential on offense, not taking a single shot. While it's great that she can concentrate on defense & playmaking, it would be exciting to see her step up as a bench scorer once again.

Kathleen Scheer

Kathleen had a tough rebound and traffic and weirdly took a three nearly at the buzzer, despite the fact that Duke could have simply run out the clock. It was an odd move, to be sure.

Alexis Rogers

Lexi missed a couple of free throws and then stuck back a Scheer miss near the second-half buzzer. It was a shot that was in bad taste, given that Duke had run down the shot clock and Virginia's players weren't trying to defend them.