Before returning home Thursday, Duke had struggled with its offense in a three-game road swing that resulted in one loss and another win that was too close for comfort. The No. 12 Blue Devils' ACC/Big Ten Challenge game against Iowa started in the same vein.
But Duke finally found its offense with a little help from the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd.
With 2:20 left in the first half, Duke fans rose to their feet to urge on the Blue Devils. Riding that enthusiasm, Krystal Thomas sank a jumper and Duke reeled off a 9-0 run to finally break out of the offensive funk that had plagued it for most of the first half.
The Blue Devils built on that lead after the break, scrapping and defending their way to a 71-47 victory.
"It kind of gets you riled up," junior Joy Cheek said of the fan support. "I think it's really important to have people out there."
From the start, Duke (5-1) used physical, aggressive defense to take Iowa (4-4) out of its game, closing off passing lanes and preventing the Hawkeyes from cutting to the basket. The Blue Devils forced 28 turnovers in the game, and Iowa didn't start hitting baskets until it was too late.
"We used our athleticism to get them out of what they're used to," said guard Abby Waner, who posted a team-high seven assists and five steals. "I think that was huge. They could never get into their flex offense because we were constantly denying passes that otherwise have been there for them."
Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder acknowledged that Duke's depth eventually wore her team down. Even while missing two key players, the Blue Devils had the personnel to put different players on Kristi Smith all night, clearly rattling the All-Big Ten guard with the pressure.
Center Chante Black had a quietly solid night for Duke. Black was honored before the game as the 24th Blue Devil to register 1,000 career points, and she celebrated the achievement by putting up 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals in 27 minutes.
Before Duke scrapped its way to a sizeable second half lead, however, it struggled to find an offensive groove. The Blue Devils started 0-for-14 from the field and shot only 30.6 percent in the first half. They looked sorely out of sync at times, failing to score for another seven-minute stretch later in the half.
"Sometimes [defensive] intensity spills over to speed on the other end of the floor, and perhaps not as much balance," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said.
Perhaps. But Duke also showed that it sorely missed its usual playmakers. Point guards Jasmine Thomas and Chelsea Hopkins were out with knee injuries. Hopkins underwent surgery earlier Thursday and is expected to be out for up to three weeks, while Thomas' diagnosis for an MCL sprain is two weeks on the sideline.
Karima Christmas gave the Blue Devils a brief scare late in the game, when she left the court clutching her right knee and remained on the bench with ice for the rest of the game. After the contest, McCallie said the injury is nothing to worry about, which allows Duke to breathe a sigh of relief.
"She banged her knee," McCallie said. "I'm told she's fine. She's going to have to be fine. She's fine."
With Thomas and Hopkins on the bench, Keturah Jackson, Waner and freshman Shay Selby shared time at the point. Selby provided a spark off the bench, contributing nine points and two steals at key times. The freshman admitted she was nervous earlier in the season, but she looks increasingly comfortable on the court.
"What [Selby] has done to step up is very important to us," McCallie said. "You just have to have a lot of people that can handle the ball, a lot of people that can create. You've got to have that ball handling overall."
The Blue Devils should be far more comfortable once their two regular ball handlers return. For now, Duke will hang its hat on strong defense. Thursday night, that looked to be more than enough.
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