BLACKSBURG, Va.—Duke has made a living this season off blowing out its opponents in one half then playing poorly the next, but on Thursday night the Blue Devils put together one of their most complete performances of the year against a struggling Virginia Tech team.
No. 5 Duke (23-1, 13-0 in the ACC) defeated the Hokies 77-33 in front of a sparse crowd at Cassell Coliseum Thursday night. Two Blue Devils outscored the Hokies alone, with sophomore center Elizabeth Williams and junior forward Haley Peters both tying career highs with 25 points apiece.
Peters’ success came after she failed to score against Maryland in the team’s last game. The junior forward shot with confidence, scoring Duke’s opening eight points and pushing the Blue Devils out to a quick 21-7 lead.
“I was focused coming into this game. I wasn’t happy with how I played last game,” Peters said. “It kind of was just a lucky thing for me, because [Elizabeth Williams] got so much attention today, and I was just open. It felt to good to score.”
In the game’s first 10 minutes, Peters shot 4-for-5 from the field, going 3-for-3 from behind the arc to put in 13 points while also snagging rebounds.
Duke went to its bench early and often, with Tricia Liston, Allison Vernerey and Richa Jackson all coming in earlier than in past games, allowing Williams and Peters to score their points in 29 and 28 minutes, respectively.
The Hokies (8-16, 2-11) struggled to find a player who would step up for them offensively. Senior guard Alyssa Fenyn led the team in the opening half with seven points, but failed to score the remainder of the contest. “I think what we had was a good team playing good and a team that’s trying to find ourselves,” Virginia Tech head coach Denis Wolff said.
Williams also had a strong first half, going 5-for-5 from the field, including a pair of mid-range jumpers. When the Blue Devils entered halftime with a commanding 40-14 lead, she had a game-leading 14 points.
The pair of Williams and Peters also combined to grab eight rebounds, more than all Virginia Tech starters combined in the first half.
“I just love the production of Haley and Elizabeth, just demanding the ball,” McCallie said. “I thought that Elizabeth kept her composure early when she was being doubled and got the ball around and looked for Haley. They played very, very well off each other.”
Apart from the exceptional play of Peters and Williams, the Blue Devil defense wreaked havoc on the Hokies in the first half, forcing 18 turnovers. Duke produced 19 points off these turnovers, opposed to Virginia Tech’s three points off Duke’s nine turnovers.
“I thought we played physical, without fouling, and aggressive,” McCallie said. The Blue Devils implemented a stifling press that frustrated the Hokies for the entire game, causing many of Virginia Tech’s turnovers.
Duke played the aggressive defense without fouling too much, finishing the game with just 10 fouls.
Even with a sizy lead, the Blue Devils kept their intensity entering the second half, continuing the full-court press until the end of the game.
“I’d say they’re the most complete team in the league,” Fenyn said. “They have really good guard play and their post play is very dominant also.”
Tricia Liston also contributed in the blowout, coming off the bench to pour in a quick eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers. The Blue Devils never allowed the gap to close, keeping the Hokies at least 28 points down after Chelsea Gray kicked off the second-half scoring just 10 seconds into the period.
The offensive woes continued throughout the game for Virginia Tech, which shot 27.8 percent from the field and had no player score in double figures in the game.
The Blue Devils are focused on maintaining this level of play for the remainder of the ACC season. McCallie continues to push her players to improve on the court in preparation for the NCAA tournament and hold them to a high standard equal to their pedigree.
“This is not high school,” McCallie said. “I’ve got All-American players. I’ve got great players.”
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