ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Saturday's game against Michigan was a homecoming of sorts for Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors, a native of Waterford, Mich.
Coaching in front of family and friends, her team did not let her down, as the Blue Devils cruised to a 92-47 victory.
Duke dominated the younger and less-experienced Wolverines, especially on the defensive end, where the Blue Devils held their fifth consecutive opponent to 30 percent shooting or worse.
"Our defense has been a focus all year long," Waner said. "Coming off of a game like we just had against Penn State-where we had our best defensive effort-it really set the bar for what we can do on defense. I think we carried that over tonight. We had some lapses, but our defense is definitely picking up game by game."
No. 5 Duke (5-0) had 15 steals-led by Abby Waner, who tied a career high with six-while Michigan (4-2) turned the ball over 23 times. Senior Alison Bales added six blocks to help the Blue Devils' defensive effort.
Lindsey Harding led the charge on the offensive end, tying a career high with 19 points-including 13 in the first half.
"She did a great job controlling the game," Michigan head coach Cheryl Burnett said. "And then at the same time, while she was controlling the game, she was scoring."
The Wolverines' offensive struggles began early, as Duke scored seven points off five Michigan turnovers in the first four minutes of the game. Harding scored eight points during that opening stretch as the Blue Devils raced to a 12-2 lead, which Michigan never overcame.
"I always want to set the tone offensively and defensively," Harding said. "I was just taking my open shots that were there. My team found me wide open and was setting some great screens."
Duke made a season-high eight three-pointers and was 6-for-7 from beyond the arc in the first half. Goestenkors said outside success freed up some space inside, and the results were evident. After outscoring Michigan in the paint by just six points in the first half, the Blue Devils outscored the Wolverines 24-10 in that area after the break.
The Blue Devils had a total team effort, with four players scoring in double figures. With the outcome of the game never in question, Duke's bench accounted for 32 points, and no Blue Devil played more than 28 minutes in the rout.
"I was just glad to see everybody do a little bit of something," Waner said. "Especially Brittany [Mitch], Emily [Waner] and K.J. [Keturah Jackson] coming off the bench.... To see everybody step up and do something that they're good at is what really gives our team a lot of confidence."
Duke never let up in the second half-its largest lead was the final margin. Michigan's persistence and constant pressure prevented the Blue Devils from coasting, even as the reserves closed out the final minutes.
"[The Wolverines] kept trapping, they kept pushing-we couldn't slip up," Harding said. "They kept playing hard, so we had to."
Goestenkors said she was pleased with the Blue Devils' effort and focus in the contest. It was Duke's first road game of the season-but for Goestenkors, it was more than that.
"It was good to be back home," she said. "But it was even better to win."
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