Duke 83-50, FINAL: With 1:07 remaining on the clock, Selby redeemed herself by hitting an open three. Isn't it great when players make your predictions look good?
On the whole, Duke played an excellent game. For the entire 40 minutes, the Blue Devils looked like they were in control of the game, and didn't seem to let up significantly even when the score got out of hand.
Duke 74-45, 3:33: With just less than five minutes remaining, freshman guard Shay Selby checked back into the game. Every time I see her play, I get the impression that she could be a really big contributor on a good Duke team someday. I haven't seen much of that today, though—her only shot of the night was a 3-pointer that rimmed out.
Duke 73-40, 7:40: Despite the big lead, Black's effort has been incredible. A great pass from Black led to an easy an uncontested lay-up for Waner and, on the next play, Black dove to the ground to save the Blue Devils the possession.
While all of this was happening, I didn't even notice that Wake Forest guard LD Williams has been sitting a few chairs down from me for a little while. A college-aged girl came up to him and asked if he would be willing to take a few pictures with a group of young girls sitting about ten rows back. Williams got up with a smile and has so far spent a good 10 minutes taking all the pictures the 15+ group of girls asked for. Pictures turned into autographs and, well... he's still up there.
Duke 58-30, 11:59: The Blue Devils finally look back in rhythm. Chelsea Hopkins scored on two consecutive possessions, one of which came on a beautiful no-look pass from Waner.
Duke 50-25, 14:43: Two consecutive lay-ups by Waner forced the Demon Deacons to take a time-out. Waner has quietly put together a solid game: 9 points on 4-8 shooting, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. It is this type of all-around performance that makes Waner valuable even when her shooting touch is a bit off.
Duke 44-25, 15:40: Duke came out for the second half looking a bit sloppy, but superior defensive play has allowed it to keep its lead. Nice mid-range shots by Keturah Jackson and Joy Cheek have opened things up in the lane for Black to work in the post and Bridgette Mitchell to drive, but both have missed easy shots in the early part of this half.
Duke 36-19, Halftime: It doesn't look like the Demon Deacons will be too much of a challenge for the Blue Devils tonight—in the first 20 minutes of play, Duke has raced out to a 16 point lead.
Still, the Blue Devils do need to do a better job taking care of the ball.
Duke has forced Wake Forest to commit 14 turnovers, but the Blue Devils have also committed 13 turnovers themselves. I'd expect a team out with this kind of lead at the half to be taking care of the ball a bit better.
Duke 29-13, 3:20: Duke has looked very sharp in the first half in route to a 16-point lead. Chante Black leads all scorers with 11 points to go along with 5 rebounds. As a team, the Blue Devils have dominated the boards 23-12.
Pregame: We're here at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem to see Duke tip-off against the Wake Forest. Duke is looking to rebound from a 59-77 loss to Maryland. I plan on keeping an eye on senior guard Abby Waner, who went just 2-11 from the field against the Terrapins
In other news, to get to the game I borrowed Ben Cohen's car. Just 13 miles in, I got a flat tire—oh, and he's The Chronicle's sports editor. Stay tuned next week to see if I still have a job.
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