Elizabeth Williams

Liz's first game looked like a dud in the first half as she went out with a second offensive foul (a fairly dubious one) with eight minutes left. To be fair, Duke didn't do a great job of trying to get her the ball before then, and she wasn't as aggressive as she could have been in demanding the ball. She did manage to grab 3 boards and impressively block a shot in the half, along with an assist to Peters, but she didn't manage a single field goal attempt. The second half was a different story as she used her left hand to fire up unblockable shots, scoring at key junctures to help secure Duke's win. Having a low-block powerhouse who can score was great for a Duke team looking to play a halfcourt style down the stretch; BYU didn't really have a player who could match up with her one-on-one. Not even 6-7 Jennifer Hamson was ready to deal with Elizabeth and Duke's pressure.

Haley Peters

This was a typically solid game for Haley, with a caveat or two. One of her four turnovers was a charging call against her that could have gone either way; the call was egregious enough for coach McCallie to pick up a rare technical foul. Two of the others were traveling calls where she lifted her pivot foot before trying to drive. These are errors of procedure that can be eliminated, of course. Of greater concern was that she picked up 4 fouls in the second half alone; 3 of them came from her being late to getting to the right defensive spot. Duke needed her on the floor because of the way she can stretch the floor. In the first half, she hit from 10' on the baseline (a shot that will almost always be open), a turnaround jumper near the basket, a pull-up 17' shot and a basket in transition. She also pulled down 3 boards and played solid defense. She was far less effective in the second half until she drained a huge three that pushed Duke's lead from 3 to 6 and forced BYU to play catch-up the rest of the way. She also hit a free throw in the closing seconds that gave Duke a three-possession lead. Haley is still adapting to being a key target on offense, and she needs to continue to hunt for her shot.

Shay Selby

Shay got her team off to a hot start with a trey and 2 foul shots, a perfect way for a senior to set the tone for the rest of her team. She handed out assists to Jackson and fed Williams for her first career score. Late in the game, she made an aggressive drive and scored to help put BYU away. Selby did make some careless turnovers that didn't help Duke's cause, but overall she helped make Duke's three point guard experiment successful.

Chloe Wells

There's no question that Chloe carried the team in the first half, especially after Selby fell silent. Certainly, her scoring helped make up for Gray's sluggish start. Her three triggered a Duke run, during which she scored on a layup. She was the catalyst for a later run, as she scored on a drive, found Vernerey on the run and then ripped off a highlight-reel steal & runout. Her second half wasn't quite as impressive, though she did feed Williams for a key score. Chloe didn't commit a single turnover, something that was all the more impressive given BYU's constant full court pressure.

Chelsea Gray

The Closer once again sprang to life when Duke really needed her, sparking a second half rally with her scoring. After hitting a baseline jumper in the first half, she missed 3 more shots and turned the ball over twice--and they were fairly careless turnovers. She didn't have much success in the second half until she scored in transition when Duke went down by 5 points. She followed that up with a big assist to Peters for three. When BYU pulled within 46-43 with four minutes to go, Chelsea shook off her defender with a crossover and buried a 15' jumper--a big time play. It's the kind of shot Jasmine Thomas would hit with regularity. She followed that up with a huge trey that gave Duke a 6 point lead. Down the stretch, she fed Williams for a score and then hit both ends of a one-and-one to help salt the game away for the Devils. It took her awhile to get going, but there's no question that this was a star performance for Gray. She simply needs to understand that it's OK to take over the game earlier, because she's not by nature a selfish player. Trying too hard to get others involved when the defense is giving you opportunities isn't great for the team either. I will say that for a player who's still trying to get into the best possible shape after an offseason spent recovering from surgery, playing at altitude has to be a truly grueling test. It's one that she passed.