Nearly three minutes into the second half of No. 12 Duke's contest against North Carolina State, it looked as if Cameron Indoor Stadium would witness a loss on the day of a jersey retirement for the second straight time in just two years. The Wolfpack had just tied the game after trailing for much of the first period and its rowdy, red-clad supporters were out-shouting the Cameron Crazies.
The Blue Devils, however, went on a 26-6 spurt over the next nine-and-a-half minutes to take control, defeating North Carolina State 71-57 in front of a season-high 8,039 fans.
"Rebounding was very critical in this game," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "We didn't shoot the ball great, but sometimes that happens.... If you rebound effectively, it provides you a chance to control the game, even if you miss a few shots."
For the game, Duke (14-4, 3-1 in the ACC) outrebounded North Carolina State 46-34.
After Wolfpack forward Khadjiah Whittington converted a three-point play to knot the score at 35, Duke used its defensive pressure and rebounding to pull away.
Following a Joy Cheek jump shot, back-to-back steals by Abby Waner and Cheek led to baskets that pushed the lead to seven. Moments later, Cheek drilled a trey-only the fifth of her career-that resulted in a double-digit lead, bringing the Crazies to their feet. The Blue Devils kept up the intensity on defense to put N.C. State in a 20-point hole with 7:21 remaining.
The Wolfpack (12-7, 0-4) also turned the ball over 24 times, 15 of which were caused by Blue Devil steals. The miscues led to frequent fastbreak chances for Duke.
"Everytime we had an opportunity to go and trap we did," senior guard Wanisha Smith said. "We did a good job of being in position and that led to a lot of easy layups for us."
Junior Chante Black led the way on offense for Duke, notching 17 points on an efficient 6-of-8 from the floor. Cheek added 14 points and six rebounds. It was the 10th time this season that the sophomore scored in double digits.
In addition, both post players were effective in shutting down Whittington. The ACC's leading scorer and rebounder was limited to just seven points and eight rebounds.
"I knew she was a really tough matchup from last year," Cheek said. "She just plays hard for 40 minutes. We set a goal as a post before each game that we hold our post opponents under their average.
While the Blue Devils' collective defensive effort was excellent, Duke's offense lacked consistency and cohesiveness. The team committed 24 turnovers and failed to get contributions from their guards. Waner and starting point guard Jasmine Thomas combined for a mere eight points, shooting just 4-of-17 from the field. The offensive lapses allowed North Carolina State to erase a 10-point deficit in the first half to get back in the game.
Nevertheless, the victory was a solid effort on the part of a Duke squad looking to bounce back from a disappointing road loss at Maryland.
"Just because you do take a lead, a game is a 40-minute experience," McCallie said. "We're going to have to reduce our lapses. But I was proud of the team to hold any team to 57 points in this league."
And with former defensive player of the year Lindsey Harding watching, the Blue Devils took a page out of her book to make sure that the celebration at halftime could continue well after the game.
NOTES:
Freshman Karima Christmas missed her first game of the season due to a kidney infection. Duke has now won 24 straight games in Cameron Indoor Stadium, which is the nation's longest home-court winning streak.
The Blue Devils next travel to Atlanta, Ga. to take on Georgia Tech. Game time is set for Thursday at 7 p.m.
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