Krystal Thomas

Duke tried to get the ball into Krystal early and often. Neither the guards nor Krystal did a very good of executing. Passes were thrown high and Krystal didn't finish strong when she did catch the ball. As a result, Duke was that much easier to guard. In the second half, Krystal played like she had had her character challenged in the locker room and came out breathing fire. She took Adams off the dribble for a score, got a steal and near-layup and later scored on a feed from Christmas. The two foul shots she hit to give Duke the lead in the second half were absolutely cold-blooded. Defensively, there's no question that she kept Adams under control, forcing her to live out at the three point line rather than in the paint. She grabbed boards, blocked shots, and held down the back of the zone. In a season where her offense has not been very impressive, her performance in the second half of this game was an encouraging sign.

Kathleen Scheer

After hitting a three in the early going, Scheer struggled for much of the game. Dealing with the power and speed of A&M was just a bit too much for her. That said, she played solid defense and made a few plays. Her alert pass back to J.Thomas for a three was one of the more important shots of the game. She did a great job of doubling the ball in the post and even came up with a block on one play. This game was a good step in her development as a post player, and I'll be curious to see how she follows up when she plays against Xavier in a couple of weeks.

Karima Christmas

Karima was the first Duke player to crack the mystery of A&M's defense, thanks to her relentless attacking off the dribble. She had 6 of Duke's 16 points in the huge first half run, including a baseline drive that forced the Aggies to play her tighter. She didn't have a single field goal in the second half and missed 4 free throws, but she was awesome on the boards and on defense. She had 2 key steals down the stretch as well as a steal & runout. She shrugged off her mistakes and made big plays for her team in tough situations, which is all one can ask.

Jasmine Thomas

Jasmine continued her shooting and turnover struggles in the first half. She in fact did not score until the last five minutes of the half, when she scored on a drive and hit a three as part of Duke's big run. She scored 13 of her 18 points in the second half, including the huge jumper with less than a minute left (probably the biggest shot of her career) and the game-clinching foul shots. Jasmine is still struggling to become more efficient as Duke attempts to integrate two new point guards and give extra minutes to a third. That said, she proved her mettle as the team's true leader when she took and made the biggest shots of the game. When Jasmine gets in a groove (and you know that she will in one big game or another), she will put up huge numbers.

Chelsea Gray

Chelsea the Closer has the most sheer nerve of any frosh I've seen at Duke since Monique Currie. Her desire to make plays at the end of games is tremendous and takes a great deal of pressure off of the seniors. She also made plays early in the game, scoring on 2 free throws and s drive. Then Chelsea hit her learning curve going up against a quick, clever pair of guards in the Sydneys (Colson and Carter). She turned the ball over 3 times and took some unnecessary risks, but she also made some incredible plays. Chasing down a loose ball and then somehow launching a perfect pass to Selby for a three with the shot clock ticking down to zero. Down the stretch, she was fouled on a drive and hit 2 freebies and then scored on a stickback. Throw in 6 rebounds, drawing a charge on Colson (for her third foul) and 2 blocks (one on Adams!), and you have one of the most versatile frosh I've ever seen. She still has yet to string together an entire game's worth of solid plays without mistakes, but Coach P noted that she's willing to live with Chelsea's risk-taking so long as she excels in so many other areas.