Duke women's basketball escapes scare from N.C. State in ACC Tournament quarterfinals

Tricia Liston scored a team-high 26 points in Duke's win against N.C. State.
Tricia Liston scored a team-high 26 points in Duke's win against N.C. State.

GREENSBORO, N.C.—This time, Duke was able to get past N.C. State.

The top-seeded Blue Devils (28-2, 17-1 in the ACC) survived a scare in their opening ACC Tournament contest against the No. 8 Wolfpack (16-16, 7-11) 79-65 Friday afternoon at Greensboro Coliseum in a game closer than the final score makes it appear.

Lightning did not strike twice for N.C. State, which strived to upset Duke in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament for the second consecutive year. Although Duke was the favorite to come out with the victory, the Wolfpack appeared to come out with more energy and held a lead late in the second half.

But with N.C. State ahead and seven minutes remaining in the second half, the Blue Devils began a 26-8 run that would last until the end of the game.

“We had to prove it to ourselves that we wanted to be here and deserved to be here,” junior guard Tricia Liston said. “Tournament time is always a fun time, but it’s one game and you’re out, so we really needed to keep that in our mind and have the mentality that it’s one game at a time."

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Duke was faced with the difficult task of a postseason without its leader in injured junior guard, Chelsea Gray. With Gray sidelined for the season, it took the Blue Devils the majority of the contest to play the game with a sense of urgency equal to that of the Wolfpack.

Duke relied on 3-point shooting throughout the game especially from Liston, who went 6-for-10 from beyond the arc, hitting a career-high number of trays. She finished the game with 26 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Blue Devils in both categories for the game.

Liston’s back-court counterpart, freshman guard Alexis Jones, was a major presence for Duke in her first postseason appearance, adding 17 points and eight assists. Jones’ defensive effort and passing skills played a crucial role in the Blue Devils run to close the game.

“I thought Tricia’s leadership was just incredible, as a junior, she’s been around the block and she knows a lot of different things out there, and she had great poise and energy and focus for her team,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “I thought [Alexis Jones] also matched that, as a first-year, running things, eight assists, taking care of the basketball and then setting things up as well.”

Sophomore center Elizabeth Williams recorded the 200th block of her career in the contest, making her the first player in ACC history to reach that mark in her first two years of play. Williams, who finished the game with 13 points and three blocks, battled N.C. State’s Markeisha Gatling, who fouled out in the closing minutes with 16 points and nine rebounds.

“I knew it was going to be kind of hard playing against Elizabeth Williams, but I just took the challenge and tried to help my team as much as I could,” Gatling said.

Liston was the focal point of Duke’s offense especially in the first half when the Blue Devils had not established strong play in the paint. Going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc in the first half, she led Duke in scoring with 14 points at the half.

From the opening possession, in which Liston hit a 3-pointer from the wing, her effort on both ends of the floor made the difference for Duke. The Blue Devils scored more points in the first half than they have in any other opening half since Gray was injured.

After building a nine-point lead going into halftime, Duke was unable to respond to N.C. State in the opening minutes of the second half as the Wolfpack narrowed the Blue Devil lead. After eventually taking the lead from Duke on successive possessions with about 11 minutes in the half, N.C.State was unable to hold off the Blue Devils, who played with a renewed defensive intensity in the closing minutes of the game.

Duke received major contribution from the bench in forward Richa Jackson and guard Ka’lia Johnson, who both have seen extended playing time with Gray on the sideline. Jackson had 13 points in 29 minutes of play off the bench while Johnson provided a spark for the Blue Devils with four rebounds and a crucial 3-pointer in her 11 minutes of play.

“I’m really proud of Richa. She’s been working very hard. I wanted to get her out there to start the half because of her energy and rebounding, and her scoring potential,” McCallie said. “I definitely thought she was an X-factor.”

Duke has proven that it needs contributions from multiple players to continue forward in the ACC Tournament as the competition will progressively become more talented. The Blue Devils will play fourth-seeded Florida State Saturday at 1 p.m.

“For us this is important, a chance to get better in our new season, this is an exciting season. This is the most fun time of the year by far, and obviously just another challenge tomorrow,” McCallie said. “That’s just the way it is and that’s what makes it fun.”

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