Allison Vernerey

I'm not sure if Alli was still feeling some effects from her sickness, but I was surprised that she played just thirteen minutes. She certainly struggled from the field as VT did a good job of keeping her on the right block. On the other hand, she was her usual active self on defense and did a nice job of moving the ball inside-out for 3 assists. Amazingly, she came up with 7 rebounds in that limited playing time.

Krystal Thomas

Krystal dominated a VT squad that actually has some size (Brittany Gordon is 6-4, while Elizabeth Basham & Taylor Ayers are both 6-2). She noted that the coaching staff kept urging her on with new statistical milestones (and she fell short of the goal of 20), which helped to keep her focused while Duke was so far ahead. She had 6 points in the first half thanks to a post-up, a hook shot and 2 free throws. While she had passes bounce off of her hands and passes go out of bounds, she actually did a decent job of connecting with her teammates. She found Peters for an easy score when she was double-teamed and did the same in the second half with Liston. What was most impressive about her game was the way she managed to intimidate the Hokies. She broke up a two-on-one break simply by standing tall and forcing a bad pass and later forced a travel in the post by holding her ground. Duke cannot beat good teams if Krystal is not dominating the game in some fashion, but they certainly need some scoring from her. She scored enough here to keep VT honest and will need to do more very soon.

Karima Christmas

A correction from an earlier claim--Karima did actually hit a three against Maryland, but that broke a string of 17 straight misses over a 12 game span. In general, she's playing better at the moment and was one of the team's top scorers in the first half with 7 points. That was especially important given the absence of Gray. She drained an early three and then scored on a drive and with 2 foul shots later in the half. Rima also found K.Thomas for a score down the stretch. She looked for her shot a bit less in the second half, but did score on a stickback and in transition. More importantly, she went after rebounds, grabbing 5 offensive boards and 6 total. She and Krystal combined for 23 rebounds, just 1 less than VT's total.

Jasmine Thomas

Jasmine looked smooth and relaxed, and the result was a stellar shooting game (10-16). Her only problem on offense was that she drove to the basket several times expecting a foul after contact, only to either miss a shot or turn the ball over. She drained jumper after jumper in this game, sinking all 5 of her threes along with a couple of shorter jumpers. Her teammates could see that she was hot and everyone was trying to get her the ball as much as possible. Jaz also had 4 steals and a couple of perimeter assists. More than anything, she was patient and let herself fall into a steady shooting rhythm. If she can stay this relaxed and trust her teammates to get her the ball in good spots, Duke will be in much better shape for a postseason run.

Chelsea Gray

Chelsea got over her flu and played well in the early going before she hurt her ankle. She scored 4 quick points, including a jumper and foul shots, but she was committing her second foul as she got hurt. If this is truly a high ankle sprain, she likely won't be available until the NCAA tournament.