COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With the clock winding down and a Duke victory all but in the books, Arizona State heaved up a last-ditch 3-point attempt to try to stay alive. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, the ball bounced off the rim and into the hands of Chante Black.
The game couldn't have ended in a more fitting way.
The Blue Devil center had the rock in her hands as time expired to end any last hope of an Arizona State comeback after Black had carried the team on her back throughout the night. And when the final buzzer sounded, she pointed a finger into the stands to silence the Maryland-based crowd one last time.
"She's an amazing post," Arizona State forward Lauren Lacey said. "Obviously, her stats show for what she did against us tonight. She's athletic, she's a great rebounder-she just works hard on both ends of the court."
And Black put all of her skills on display Tuesday night.
Entering the game, Black knew that the Sun Devils were unlikely to double her inside, given that they had played every post under single coverage during the regular season. The junior took full advantage of that defensive strategy, attacking the rim from the very beginning. Fourteen of her career-high 26 points were off layups, leading to a 28-22 advantage in the paint for the Blue Devils.
On a night when Arizona State's pressure harassed Duke-which shot 40.7 percent from the floor-into taking many quick shots, the Blue Devils needed that offensive boost from their leading scorer.
"[My teammates] really wanted us to come out energized," Black said. "I knew it was going to be a physical game. I knew I was going to have to have that attack mindset."
Black also applied her aggressive approach on the glass. She tied a season high with 13 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. On one possession late in the first half, Black pulled down two of her own misses before getting a putback to give Duke a five-point lead.
She was equally active compensating for her other, more rare, mistakes on the floor. With seven and a half minutes left, Black missed a short jumper but drew an offensive foul before the ball had even crossed midcourt. A minute later, Black was unable to handle a pass from forward Carrem Gay but stole the ball back on the next possession.
In addition to her two steals, Black's blocks proved to be game-changing moments for Duke. The highlight of the night came when she stuffed what looked to be an easy layup by Jill Noe late in the first half.
But it was the star's ability to take control of the game in the closing minutes that ultimately secured the victory for Duke. After free throws by Arizona State's Briann January cut a once-14-point deficit to two, Black drew a foul on the next play and converted two free throws from the line to extend the lead to four. She took another trip back to the charity stripe on the next possession with an opportunity to give the Blue Devils a six-point edge. Upon missing the second free throw, she grabbed her own rebound, drew yet another foul and knocked down one more to ice the game.
"When Chante is that dominant on the inside, she absolutely has to touch the ball before the ball goes up," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "And our team really got that and did a great job executing and looking inside."
And by getting the ball in the hands of its veteran leader, Duke finished off the Sun Devils and punched yet another ticket to the Sweet 16.
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