CLEMSON, S.C. - It was the latest start time in Clemson history, but fortunately for the Blue Devils, Lauren Rice's "A" game showed up right on time.
The senior tri-captain scored 14 of her 17 points in the first half as the No. 14 Blue Devils (22-4, 11-3 in the ACC) jumped out to an early 8-2 lead and pushed their way past Clemson (16-10, 7-7) 59-44 in a 9 p.m. game at Littlejohn Coliseum last night.
"It was the best she has played a half of basketball in her Duke career," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "She really kept us in it. She was ready to play, one of the few players who came ready to play."
Rice was a rare bright spot in a physical, turnover-prone game that saw bodies hitting the floor with about the same regularity as balls were bricking off the rim. The Blue Devils managed to commit 25 turnovers and still win, while the Tigers managed to stay in the game despite shooting an incredible 23.1 percent from the floor.
"I'm just happy to win," Goestenkors said. "It was a very ugly game. I don't think [Clemson coach Jim Davis] is happy with the way they played; I know I'm not happy with the way my team played."
And for a while in the second half, it seemed neither team would take the win.
The two squads combined to miss their first nine shots of the period, with the only point coming on a Krista Gingrich free throw that pushed Duke's halftime advantage up by one, to 29-21, on the first possession.
The Blue Devils finally scored, as LaNedra Brown banked in a transition layup three-and-a-half minutes into the half, the first field goal for either team. Frustrated by the Duke matchup zone, the Clemson offense was even worse, taking a full five minutes before reserve Chrissy Floyd sank a jump shot to pull the Tigers within six.
But while Clemson pulled back into the game, it could never pull within one possession. Four times during the second half, the Tigers cut the lead to six, but each time the rally fell short before making a serious threat.
"Somehow we've got to learn how to manufacture points," said Davis, whose frustration boiled over near the game's conclusion, earning him a technical foul.
As Davis saw it, it was a simple lack of execution.
"We need a shooting coach," he joked afterwards. "Heck, we need a layup coach."
Despite the poor shooting numbers, the Tigers remained in the game largely because of the play of center Erin Batth. The senior led the Tigers with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
But the rest of the team found little room to move against a physical Duke defense.
"Our total lack of aggressiveness hurt us," Davis said. "There's a difference between our players in that we've got shooters and they've got players. We can stand out there and shoot with anybody, but our confidence is shaken because people come and get up in our stuff and we've got to be ready to take it."
A Gingrich three-pointer with 1:46 left to play sealed the game for the Blue Devils, giving Duke a 54-44 advantage, and handing the seniors on the team their first-ever victory at Clemson.
"One of my seniors said she hadn't won here," said Goestenkors, who last won in Clemson in 1996. "I had no idea it had been that long, so I'm really glad that the seniors came away with a win."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.