With less than a minute to go, Emily and Abby Waner walked off the court in Magness Arena to a standing ovation from what seemed like a personal fan section for the former Colorado Miss Basketball honorees.
The two had just helped the No. 10 Blue Devils cap off a 57-37 win over Denver, punctuating their homecoming with back-to-back, sister-to-sister connections. Emily hit Abby on a wide-open backdoor cut, and after a Pioneer turnover, Abby found Emily across the court for a shot beyond the arc.
"I'm always at ease when Emily's on the court because I know what she's looking for, I know her tempo, I know when she's going to pass it," said the younger Waner, a junior, who had 16 points. "Those two possessions kind of sum up the way we play together, and it was a great way to end an otherwise pretty ugly game."
It was a rocky start in the Rocky Mountains for Duke in its season opener. The team showed signs of the inevitable growing pains and adjustments under first-year head coach Joanne P. McCallie. Abby Waner, though, denied that it was anything to worry about.
"It was our first game-we have a brand new coach, we have a brand new team, we have freshmen playing major roles, so we're just working out kinks like any other team," she said. "It's just going to take some time."
The Pioneers took advantage of Duke's sloppy play from the get-go and held onto the lead for the first 27 minutes of the contest. Responding in front of a school record crowd for women's basketball, Denver made 6-of-12 three-pointers in the first half.
By forcing 10 Blue Devil turnovers in the first half and holding Duke to just 36-percent shooting from the field, the Pioneers were able to head into halftime with a surprising 27-25 lead.
"We shot a very poor percentage," McCallie said. "Honestly, I don't worry about it too much. We have great shooters, and sometimes the ball doesn't work the way you want it too. I think what's more important is how you rebound and how you defend."
Duke lived up to its coach's standards by shaking off its less-than-stellar first half and coming out strong in the second, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
The Blue Devils focused heavily on disrupting the Pioneers' shooters and instituted a full-court press in the second period, shaking up Denver's offense and causing 13 turnovers. Duke also dominated the glass throughout the game and kept the opposition's second-chance points to a minimum by out-rebounding the Pioneers 47-27.
After a lay-up gave Denver a 29-27 lead three minutes into the second half, the Pioneers did not score another field goal for more than 13 minutes. The team's luck from behind the arc disappeared as well. Denver failed to convert on any of its 11 three-point attempts after halftime.
A resurgent Blue Devils attack responded with a 16-0 run in the middle of the second half to put the game out of reach.
"To hold a team to two points in 14 minutes might be a world record," McCallie said.
Duke's comeback was largely because of the strong play it got from the bench. Only Abby Waner played more than 27 minutes on the night, and every player saw nearly five minutes of action.
"I have a lot of confidence in our bench," McCallie said. "People stepped up, and I just believe in our team."
Freshman guard Jasmine Thomas and sophomore forward Joy Cheek both came off the bench to lead the defensive charge, as each had three steals on the night. Cheek also grabbed five rebounds and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field, scoring 11 of the Blue Devils' 19 bench points.
Those bright spots are what Duke will focus on as it continues to grow and improve as a team. For McCallie, a win is a win.
"You got to win ugly sometimes," she said. "It's not all about the pretty games."
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