Richa Jackson

In the first half, and really, in many of her recent games, Richa has looked slightly sluggish and even bewildered. She didn't seem to know how to attack the zone at all in the first half, putting up a few weak shots and committing an offense foul. She was much more relaxed and instinctive in the second half as she drove for a three point play (but missed the free throw), got some rebounds and came up with a steal. Of all the players on the team, I think Richa will benefit the most from the long layoff from school that's coming up and the distraction-free practices that will ensue. She has a nose for the basket and is aggressive, and these traits simply have to be molded correctly to fit in with the team concept.

Shay Selby

Shay scored twice in transition but otherwise had a fairly quiet game, ceding a lot of point guard duties to Wells. She did have a little dust-up with Albany guard Felicia Johnson, as a battle for a loose ball got heated and resulted in a technical foul on Johnson after a brief shoving match.

Allison Vernerey

Allison was quite active and alert in this game, clearly relishing a chance to post and up score with far greater ease than she's encountered in recent games. She also ran the court well, finishing in transition on a pass from J.Thomas. Her pass to Liston in the post for a score was an impressive play for her, as she's sometimes struggled to quickly make the correct read in time to deliver a pass in a tight spot. She did bobble the ball a couple of times for turnovers and bricked a couple of foul shots, but in general she did quite well in place of K.Thomas when she didn't start the second half. Never afraid to give up her body, Allison took a charge to wipe out a potential basket.

Tricia Liston

Of all Duke's players, Liston had the most to prove in this game. Coach McCallie noted that she really "answered the bell" in terms of what she brought to the game. The best thing about her performance was not her scoring or shooting (though that was impressive), but rather the fact that she was active. She was constantly in motion, running through and around the zone in an effort to disrupt it. In the first half, instead of simply sitting outside waiting for someone to pass her the ball, she made the effort to post up against a smaller opponent and sank a turnaround jumper on a pass from Vernerey. Given the chance, she drained a three on a pass from Gray, then alertly found Vernerey inside for a layup as the half was winding down. Liston was quite active in the last eight minutes of the game, getting an assist on a pass to Gray, sinking 2 threes, driving in for a floater and hitting 2 free throws. She fought hard for 4 rebounds, went after loose balls and generally kept her mistakes to a minimum. Tricia still has trouble staying in front of quick opponents off the dribble, but she's better about seeking out help. McCallie spoke openly about wanting Liston to get in the best possible shape, because she sees her as a real potential contributor. Tricia will need to find the balance between trying to go inside (which will be hard against some opponents) and simply lingering on the perimeter. She wants to be active, but needs help from her teammates in order to do so. With her deadly shot, let's hope happens sooner rather than later.

Chloe Wells

Chloe is probably the hardest on herself of any of the players, with the possible exception of Haley Peters. After the game, she spoke of feeling like "dead weight" the past couple of games and wanted to prove to her teammates that she can contribute and help right now. Losing one's starting job can't be easy for a young player, but the facts are that her scoring and playmaking had fallen off in recent games against tougher opponents. Other than dishing an assist to J.Thomas for three, she was quite ordinary in the first half. When the five frosh were on the floor, Chloe was fired up and got her classmates fired up as well. She backed up that energy by scoring 6 straight points, including a floater, a baseline drive and a quick steal/layup under the basket. Scoring without simply pulling up from long range is something she has to work on, and this sequence showed her progress. Chloe followed that up with another steal and dish to Gray for a runout, a pass to Liston for three and a three of her own. She matched her career high with 9 points with just 5 shots and also piled 7 assists to just 1 turnover. Chloe still has to figure out how to do this againt quick opponents, but this game was certainly a step in the right direction.

Haley Peters

Haley broke a team rule and so received extremely limited playing time. This was unfortunate, given that she probably needed some extra minutes to help get back into playing rhythm after receiving limited minutes against Texas A&M. When she was in, she didn't seem comfortable, committing an offensive foul and turning the ball over a couple of other times. Duke needs her to get back in synch.