WINSTON-SALEM - Getting the most out of their home stadium's electronic capabilities, Wake Forest quasi-dramatically lowered the lights prior to introducing their players. Judging by Duke's drubbing that followed, the Demon Deacons may have been better off not turning them back on.
Led by team-high 14-point efforts from Sheana Mosch and Alana Beard, and getting at least five points from all 10 Blue Devils who played, Duke (24-1, 12-0 in the ACC) cruised to an 83-41 victory over a thoroughly overmatched Wake Forest team (11-12, 2-11). The 41 points scored by Wake Forest marks the lowest scoring total that the Blue Devils have allowed against an ACC opponent this season.
"I was really pleased with our overall performance tonight," I think we did a really good job, on the defensive end of the floor in particular," said Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors. "I thought that in the second half our offense really started clicking."
With 2:39 remaining in the first half, freshman Brooke Smith sunk a pair of free throws to put the Blue Devils up by 21, with a 34-13 lead. Mosch followed Smith's free throws with a three-pointer from just behind the arc. Prior to her three-ball against the Demon Deacons last night, the 5-10 guard had been 0-for-8 since the Iowa State game on Dec. 29.
To say that the Blue Devils controlled play would be an understatement. All you need to do is look at the nearly nine straight minutes that Duke held the Demon Deacons scoreless in the first frame, and the 15-0 run that it went on during that span, to know that the Blue Devils utterly dominated the opposition.
Defensively, Duke was nothing short of suffocating. They held the Demon Deacons to just 34.8 per cent shooting for the game and forced an astonishing 18 steals. The Blue Devils also ripped down 15 more rebounds.
Beard led the Blue Devils with four steals, two of which set up Duke scores.
"I think tonight we were all on the same page," Beard said. "Coach G told us that we had to follow a game plan, and I think the fact that we were all clicking gave us a lot of opportunities to make the easy steals and convert the easy buckets."
Wake Forest, who sits at the other end of the conference spectrum from Duke - in last place - did not do much to help their own cause, as they turned the ball over four straight times to open up the game.
"I'm just glad this game is over," said Demon Deacons' head coach Charlene Curtis. "I don't think we played very well, but we played a Duke team that is on the rise and there's a reason why they are No. 2 in the country.... Although they've lost one game, they deserve their No. 2 ranking. They're all of that. They did it tonight, we didn't play well and they took advantage of every mistake that we made."
The Demon Deacons did have one bright spot in the form of their senior forward Tiffani Listenbee, who had a game-high 17 points. Yet, she could only express frustration with her team's effort and admiration for the Blue Devils' well-balanced offensive attack.
"Normally, when you go up against a team with one or two All-Americans, they're going to get what they're going to get," Listenbee said. "But it's frustrating when the people who don't usually score get buckets really hurt you."
Trailing 40-18 at the break, Wake Forest hung tough, opening up the second frame with a three-pointer from junior forward Tracy Alston just over ten seconds, and then keeping Duke from significantly increasing their lead.
"The one thing that I was concerned about was the way that we started the second half," Goestenkors said. "I don't think we played well for the first six or seven minutes or so."
The Demon Deacons' improved effort notwithstanding, Duke eventually nailed the door shut midway through the second half. With 8:52 remaining, Duke began a 10-0 run with a gentle lay-up from junior forward Iciss Tillis, a run that spanned another two minutes, erasing Wake Forest's already bleak hopes. From that point on, all the Blue Devils had to do was play out the clock without suffering any injuries. Fortunately for Duke, it was able to leave the floor with a smile and a win.
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