Christmas came early for Duke in its win over Stanford Dec. 16.
It came again, two weeks late, for the Blue Devils Friday in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Karima Christmas led No. 5 Duke to a 73-58 victory over Miami, as the sophomore guard posted a career-high 21 points, a career-high three 3-pointers and a game-high six steals.
"I know that my teammates trust me to make good decisions," Christmas said. "I have to trust in myself and take shots when I can. I was able to do that tonight."
And she needed to be that productive for the Blue Devils (13-1, 1-0 in the ACC), especially on a night when their starting guards were shut down by Miami (10-6, 0-2). Sophomore guard Jasmine Thomas turned the ball over a career-high eight times, while senior guard Abby Waner was held scoreless in 19 minutes and fouled out for the second time in her career.
Fortunately for Duke, though, Christmas, who set her previous career high with 14 points against Stanford, was there to pick up the slack.
"We don't have (Christmas) scouted for some of the stuff she did tonight," Miami head coach Katie Meier said. "And that makes Duke a very tough team if she's going to shoot like that."
Despite Christmas' effort, the Blue Devils faltered early in the game with poor offensive execution. Duke ended the half with a two-point lead because of its stifling full court press that plagued Miami throughout the game.
Christmas was at the top of the press, which is how she amassed her steals total.
"We were up 28-15 in the first half, but then had some trouble and couldn't score," head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. "Miami hit some shots and brought themselves back into the game at the half."
Although the Blue Devils outrebounded Miami 21-11 in the first half, Duke did not dominate inside the paint. At 6-foot-5, senior center Chante Black towered over Miami's starting lineup, which had an average height of 5-foot-10. Instead of capitalizing on the size advantage, the Blue Devils played along the perimeter and took long jump shots in the first period. The quicker Miami team was able to force turnovers and grab long rebounds, leading to easy points in transition.
After the break, however, Duke played like a completely different team.
The Blue Devils began the half with a 16-6 run and never looked back. Duke switched from man-to-man defense to a 3-2 matchup zone that shut down Miami's offense late in the second half, limiting the Hurricanes' second chance opportunities and ability to get inside the key and to the rim.
"It was the tale of two halves," McCallie said. "I liked the energy and fight that the girls brought in the second half. There was great composure on the court, but our rebounding needs to continue to improve."
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