After scoring more than 70 points in 10 of their last 11 contests, the Blue Devils' offense cooled off Thursday night as the team barely eclipsed the 50-point mark.
But thanks to their ACC-leading defense, it didn't even matter.
No. 11 Duke (17-6, 6-2 in the ACC) held Boston College (17-6, 5-3) to 34.9 percent shooting and just 15 total field goals in its 51-41 road victory at Silvio O. Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
The Blue Devils limited the Eagles' top two scorers, Stefanie Murphy and Carolyn Swords, to 10 total points. The 92-point total between the two teams was the fewest in their all-time series.
"It was great defense by both teams," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "Everybody contributed tonight, and that's important in a very physical game."
Perhaps still reeling from its 93-76 loss to No. 3 North Carolina Monday, Duke struggled to take command of the game in the first half. Shooting 27.3 percent from the field in the opening period, the Blue Devils traded the lead with the Eagles, with neither team gaining an advantage greater than seven.
After a pair of Carrem Gay free throws gave Duke a 19-12 lead with 8:27 remaining in the first half, the team's shooting went cold. The Blue Devils went over eight minutes without scoring, missing 11 consecutive shots. The Eagles took advantage and clawed their way back, taking a 21-19 lead after a layup by Ayla Brown with 4:03 remaining.
Duke finally broke the lid on the basket when Abby Waner-who finished with 10 points-hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining in the half. The 8:20 scoring spell was Duke's longest of the season, and Duke entered halftime trailing for the seventh time this season, 23-22.
"In the first half we let the tempo get dictated to us, and we didn't like that," McCallie said. "At halftime we talked about grabbing the tempo in the second half, and we did that. I think BC got flustered a little bit."
The Blue Devils were able to stay in the game in that first half by forcing turnovers by Boston College and turning them into points. Thirteen of Duke's 22 first-half points came off BC miscues.
Turnovers were a problem throughout the game for each team, as Duke gave the ball away 21 times and Boston College 27 times on the night. Each team had considerably more turnovers than field goals made on the night, and the two squads combined to post a 1-to-3 assist-to-turnover ratio.
After the intermission, the Eagles continued to struggle holding on to the ball and starting missing shots, as the shooting bug that plagued the Blue Devils in the first 20 minutes switched benches.
Following a layup by Murphy that tied the game at 27 with 16:05 remaining, Boston College did not make a field goal for the next 11 minutes.
This time, Duke made a run to seize control of the game. Gay and center Chante Black pounded the ball down low, scoring on tough layups and making key free throws to help Duke build a 44-29 lead with five minutes left. The two post players combined for 18 points on the night, with reserve forward Joy Cheek adding another 10. Although the team only made three field goals during the stretch, Duke went 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.
"I don't go into a game wondering about what we're going to score," McCallie said. "I'd rather go in prepared and ready to attack. I thought we did attack but at times got a little ahead of ourselves."
Finally, with 4:54 remaining, Mickel Picco drove the lane and made a layup to break the Boston College field-goal drought. The Eagles, though, would not be able to transform that bucket into a late charge. The Duke defense stayed tough until the end and helped Duke leave Boston with a win.
"We didn't want this type of game, but it let us focus on our defense and get the win," said Black, who finished the game with 11 points and five blocks.
McCallie was quick to look on the bright side one game after her team's worst defensive performance of the season.
"It's not about perfect for us," McCallie said. "It's about growing and getting better getting tougher. There were some things we did tonight that I really liked, making good decisions in key time and score situations."
Duke will look to build on the momentum when it returns home Sunday to host Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 2 p.m.
Pete Kiehart contributed to this story.
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