Duke women's basketball scores 100 for second-straight game in win against Armstrong State

Senior center Elizabeth Williams posted 23 points and 18 rebounds in Sunday's exhibition against Armstrong State.
Senior center Elizabeth Williams posted 23 points and 18 rebounds in Sunday's exhibition against Armstrong State.

Following a dominant 67-point victory in its first exhibition against Limestone, the Blue Devils hit the century-mark once again Sunday.

Fueled by the dominant interior presence of senior Elizabeth Williams and redshirt freshman Rebecca Greenwell’s hot start from beyond the arc, Duke jumped out to a quick 32-2 lead just nine minutes into the game and never looked back in a 100-45 victory against Armstrong State Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“Elizabeth’s energy she showed was fabulous and when she has that kind of balance and attack, she can do just about anything on the floor, and the same goes for [Greenwell],” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “One of the things we’re benefiting from is that they’re both in such great shape.”

The two biggest factors contributing to the Blue Devils early domination were the effective use of a full court press and an enormous height advantage against their outmatched opponents from the Peach Belt Conference.

Duke’s defense was impressive in the first half, as it forced the Pirates to commit nine early turnovers. The Blue Devils' superior size led to a 68-37 advantage on the glass, including 17 offensive boards.

“Our focus and energy were definitely there and our ability to get consecutive stops kept the pace going,” Williams said. “In the second 10 minutes of the first half, we let down a little bit and lost our focus a little bit and that’s why the score changed.”

Greenwell and Wiliams led the Blue Devils in scoring for the second game in a row with 31 and 23, respectively. Duke also received another solid contribution from freshman guard Sierra Calhoun, who finished with 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting—including a highlight reel spin-move that resulted in a three-point play with 5:21 to go in the second half. With the Blue Devils turning to a point guard by committee in the upcoming season, the freshman’s early season performance has certainly warranted consideration for more playing time.

“Her role will be what she grows it,” McCallie said. “She has a lot of talent, but for her to play point guard, her turnovers are going to have to come down. She has wonderful potential and right now she’s a two or three [guard] mostly.”

After Duke’s quick start, the Pirates responded with an 11-2 run of their own midway through the first half and put the Blue Devils in early foul trouble. With four Duke players all with two fouls in the opening period, McCallie was forced to feature some unconventional lineups revolving around Williams and Greenwell.

The Blue Devils' foul trouble would continue into the second half, with seniors Ka’lia Johnson and Amber Henson picking up their fourth fouls halfway through the period. But, on the back of a 18-6 run, Duke was able to stretch its lead to 72-29 with 12 minutes to go in the half.

With the exception of freshman Azurá Stevens—who sat out with a mild ankle sprain—every Blue Devil received playing time in a game that that Duke would lead by as many as 57 points.

The Blue Devils will next take the court on the road against Alabama Sunday Nov. 16 at 8 p.m.

Discussion

Share and discuss “Duke women's basketball scores 100 for second-straight game in win against Armstrong State” on social media.